Bent
by Ms.Disconnect
Summary: "What are you supposed to do when you find out that the mysterious girl that you fell in love with happens to be your best friends girlfriend? Hell if I know."- Ichigo
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

The morning light slowly crept through Ichigo's room, almost hitting his eyes. Ichigo lied there, peacefully asleep, his mouth slightly opened as he inhaled and exhaled. As time went by, the sun's rays eventually crept its way through onto Ichigo's eyelids, waking him up.

His eyes slowly opened, squinting from the sudden light that hit his eyes. As always, the weekend was over and the new week had begun. The first thing that hit Ichigo's mind was 'Monday.'

He let out a groan, stretching his arms and legs out across his bed before sitting up. His head moved to the side as he searched for the numbers on his alarm clock, '5:45AM' He let out another groan, tempted to let his body fall back onto his bed. He knew he had to resist. He finally gained the awareness and strength to lift himself from his bed and walk to his bathroom.

Ichigo had a good sized apartment, 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and eating area. He didn't ask for much and was grateful for finding this place with the help of his sister Yuzu and for his grandfather paying for it all.

Ever since their mother passed away, Yuzu took her place of her motherly ways. His grandfather wanted nothing more than the best for Ichigo and his siblings. He knew he had to step it up once his daughter passed away.

It was his best way of showing he still cared. Not only did his grandfather pay for Ichigo's living expenses, but he also paid for his car and his tuition to Sachiko University.

The University was one of the best in the area. It was also just an hour away from home. That way, Ichigo and his friends could visit home over the weekends easily. He remembered how happy he was when his grandfather granted him all of this right in his living room.

_..!.._

_The living room was dark and quiet. Everyone had left already, plates and cups scattered the house. They had just had a Wake for his mother since she just passed away. Ichigo had no idea why people would come to his home to laugh and enjoy their time when his mother just died. _

_Although, he was on 9 and didn't know that it was simply a celebration of his mother's life._

_When his mother was alive and he was near crying, she would always tell him that he needed to be strong-strong for his friends, family and himself. Now that she was gone… he couldn't help but let a couple of tears slide down his face every now and then._

_People he knew at the gathering would come up to him and ask how he was. He would just stand there with a blank face without a single word slipping through his dry lips. They would reply with a pat on his back and a kiss on his forehead. _

_As time went by, years later, nobody had forgotten Ichigo's mother, Masaki. In fact, his father acted as if she were still there. Oddly enough, Ichigo believed it… That's what kept him sane each day. That's what kept him strong. _

_His grandfather came over exactly 9 years after his mother had passed. They all sat in the living room, their eyes glued on their grandfather with curiosity. After a minute of silence, he finally spoke, "Your mother always told me that you three were her life.__She wanted nothing more than the best for you." He spoke slowly, hunching forward a bit, "I am growing old and have lived my life… I will not be around forever."_

_Ichigo lowered his head. He stared at his lap, not knowing how to deal with another death. Yuzu held onto her father's arm, a single tear falling from her right eye. Karin was silent, her eyes focused on something else as her head was turned away from everyone. Ichigo's head lifted and met his grandfather's eyes as he called Ichigo's name. _

_"Your father has told me that for two years now, you have been working to save up for your own automobile." Ichigo nodded, responded, "Yeah, not only for a car but for college as well…" His grandfather nodded, "Ichigo, becoming a man isn't just focused on one thin alone… but one of them does happen to be working as hard as you can to get what you need." _

_Ichigo kept his focus on his grandfather, leaning forward as well, "You have truly shown that you are capable of doing so but I believe that your work has paid off well." His grandfather pulled a piece of paper out of his front pocket jacket, handing it to Ichigo. _

_"Ichigo, working hard is a part of life. And one of the reasons I'm doing this is because I worked hard for this to someday give to you. Now, I know you may not want to accept this at first, but I promised your mother that I would do all I could to make your lives a little bit easier…" _

_Ichigo opened the paper, his eyes widened and his hands shook. "Grandfather…I-" His grandfather shook his head, "I don't even want you thinking of something as ridiculous as paying me back…" _

_Karin who was sitting next to Ichigo, leaned over his shoulder, giving the same reaction as her brother. Ichigo didn't know what to think… he thought he would have to at least work for another 5 years before being able to afford going to a University, paying for an apartment and owning his own car._

_ And all of a sudden, that wasn't an issue. It was like winning the lottery… and he couldn't believe it. _

_"You have done nothing but honor your mother and your family, Ichigo. Once your mother passed, you did all you could possible to make sure your family was safe and happy. Your mother would be proud." _

_The corners of Ichigo's mouth moved up slightly as he stared at the check. His grandfather was surprised when he suddenly received a hug from his grandson. "Thank you so much, grandfather… I can't thank you enough." His grandfather laughed and patted his back lightly. "Just promise me you'll work twice as hard to be the best lawyer you can." Ichigo smiled, "I promise."_

_..!.._

Ichigo opened the door to his bathroom and walked to the shower, turning it on to his temperature liking. He crossed his arms over his sides, gripping the hems of his shirt, lifting it over his head to drop it on the ground. He slid his pajama bottoms and boxers off at the same time then immediately stepped into the shower. The heated steam slowly filled the bathroom, covering the mirror and window. Ichigo sighed as the hot water hit his skin, dipping his head below the shower head.

As soon as Ichigo was done and dry, he walked back into his room with a towel around his waist. He threw his dirty clothes into his hamper and walked towards his closet. He threw on some dark washed fitted jeans, a brown sweater and his black jacket. Ichigo wasn't some kind of GQ but he didn't like looking like a slob either. I guess you could say that Yuzu helped him with that as well.

Ichigo liked having some alone time before setting off to school, which is why he woke so early. He grabbed his keys and school messenger bag and headed out the door by 6:20AM each day. He usually liked taking the stairs down to the parking lot as well; he thought it shook him awake a bit more. As soon as he saw his Avalon Hybrid, he unlocked it and got in. Before the sun's rays decided to pierce his eyes once again, he put on his aviators and started up his car.

Ichigo had a specific place he liked going to and had gone to for over 2 years. He was a junior at the University and unlike his friends, he liked being alone before school started. They all liked meeting at a coffee shop at the college but it was way too noisy for him. It wasn't that he was claustrophobic; he just liked having his coffee in peace.

Ichigo turned his car to the right to park at a curb that was next to a coffee shop/bookstore/library called The Hirohyaku Bookshop and Coffee Bar. He loved this place. It was quiet enough for him to get his coffee and read whatever he liked without any distractions. He shut his car door, locking it afterwards. He stepped onto the curb and headed straight for the door.

He opened it and took a wiff of the coffee grounds brewing in the back. He smiled to himself and made his way up to the line. Luckily, there were only a couple of people in there. The cashier smiled at him, kindly greeting him, "Ichigo, my man! How are you today?" Ichigo grinned and nodded, "I'm great, thanks!" The cashier grabbed his drink that was to his side and handed it to Ichigo.

"Already made, like always!" Ichigo chuckled lightly, taking his wallet out to pay him. "You guys treat me like I'm royalty. Thank you, Harunobu!" He nodded, grabbing his coffee, "Anytime, Ichigo! Have a good day at school!" Ichigo smiled and nodded.

He turned around and walked straight to the bookstore, greeting an elderly woman that was behind a cashier desk, reading silently. "Morning, Mrs. Ayame. How are you today?" The elderly woman smiled kindly at Ichigo, "I am quite alright, Ichigo. Have you found yourself a suited young woman yet?" Ichigo chuckled as he walked over to the 'Poetry' bookcase, his eyes searching, "You ask me this every day and I always give you the same answer."

He grabbed a book he was starting to read recently, "The Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman. The library was small but very comforting. The left side of the room had a good amount of books, all organized within each shelf.

There were 2 chairs and a couch next to a window that covered most of the wall, giving a nice view of the street. To the right was a kids area, a Chappy rug sprawled across the floor for a play area with toys and small shelves filled with numerous amounts of children s books.

Ayame shook her pointer finger at Ichigo, "Watch it, young Ichigo, one day that woman will come waltzing through the door and you'll hardly be ready for it!" Ichigo threw his head back and laughed, "Alright, grandma, you're asking for a little too much there." Ichigo sat down at the seat he sat at everyday, "Your romance novels are really starting to get to that head of yours."

Ayame smirked and started reading again, mumbling, "Just you wait, Ichigo…"

_..!.._

Ichigo arrived at his school parking lot, parking as close as he could to the actual school. He usually got lucky and did that day. He walked to the coffee shop where his friends were, his eyes searched for the specific table his friends were at. His friends made it less difficult for him as they shouted his name and waved at him.

Ichigo made his way to the table, sitting next to his oldest and best friend, Grimmjow. "Ichii! Good morning!" His friend Orihime exclaimed, Chad greeted him with a nod. "Hey, Orihime, Chad. Good morning." Ichigo sat his bag down next to him and removed his aviators.

Renji scoffed and clasped his hands behind his head, "About time. I was beginning to think you were taking advantage that old lady of yours." Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Another one of your sick fantasies, Renji. They're sick but entertaining."

Renji laughed as he ruffled Ichigo's hair, Ichigo slapping his hand away, Renji's hand flying back and almost whacking Ishida in the face. Ishida frowned a bit, "Now, now, children." Ichigo was about to respond with the regular smart ass comment but a ringtone cut him off.

Grimmjow answered his phone, "Hey baby, how are you? How was your first flight?" Everyone was listening in, giving Ichigo a perfect time to kick Renji in the shin. Renji winced and stomped his foot on the foot that nudged his shin. Ichigo bit his lip hard, glaring at Renji. Chad chuckled at the immature fight while Orihime kept her eyes on Grimmjow.

Grimmjow's leg bounced up and down impatiently, indicating that he really didn't want to talk to this person,"Really… uh huh… that's great… yup…" Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow, noticing his eyes wondering to a blonde's behind, practically drooling.

"Alright, baby, I gotta get to class. See you tomorrow." Grimmjow hung up. He quickly grabbed his things, mumbling that he needed to go before he chased after the blonde.

Orihime frowned as he left, "Poor girl… She doesn't know what she's getting herself into…" Ishida adjusted his glasses, "He's been with her for 6 years now, Orihime. She hasn't known what she's gotten into for more than half a decade."

Orihime sighed softly, rubbing her arm, "I know… I'm just really disappointed that Grimmjow has kept this going for so long… You'd think he'd feel guilty by now and confess…"

Renji snorted as he pointed his thumb towards Grimmjow that was now outside, "Yeah, that's a good one. This guy is a womanizer and always has been." Ichigo's eyes found Grimmjow outside of the coffee shop, making out with the blonde his blue eyes were gazing at just a minute ago.

Renji continued, "We've known the guy since grade school, he wasn't even 5 yet and he was trying to make it to first base with our kindergarten teacher."

A young man with snow white hair came into their vision; his hand was around a petite young woman with dark hair. "Who are you guys speaking about?" The woman asked.

Orihime waved and replied, "Hello Momo and Toshiro! We're talking about Grimmjow's girlfriend, Rukia." Momo sat down next to Orihime, her mouth curled down into a frown as she fiddled with her fingers on the table. "Yeah… I've felt horrible about it this entire time since I'm the one who hooked the two up…" Toshiro sighed from the words that came out of Momo's mouth and placed one of his hands across the table onto Momo's.

"Momo… We've talked about this. You were only trying to help and it isn't anyone's fault but Grimm's…" Momo smiled sadly as Toshiro's eyes found hers. Toshiro had gotten a little soft ever since him and Momo started dating years ago. Everyone noticed this but never dared to tease him about it.

'_Except that one time Keigo did.._' The only bones in Keigo's body that were able to move was his fingers. And he didn't even move them, they twitched by themselves. Ichigo shivered at the thought.

Renji broke the silence between the two, "Enough of this sappy shit, we're meeting this chick soon, aren't we?"

Momo nodded, "She's visiting Grimm tomorrow afternoon and is visiting her brother-in-law for the next week and will be busy so we won't get to meet her this time. However, she will be transferring here for her senior year."

Orihime clasped her hands together, "Oh goody! We'll have another person to come shopping with us!" The men rolled their eyes as Momo and Orihime began talking about the things they could do with Rukia. "She's really amazing, Orihime! She's a little spunky but I think that will blend well with our group of friends. I'm just sad that you guys couldn't meet her at all during these 6 years."

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest. "Che, another punk I have to deal with… great." Momo frowned, "You better be nice to her, Ichii! I've known her my whole life and it's guaranteed that she could kick your butt!"

Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed as Renji laughed at him, "Okay, Momo, okay- whatever you say." He _would have _gone over there to smack her little face in but her little boyfriend was there. And everyone knew that one of the worst things you could do was mess with Toshiro.

Ishida spoke up as everyone started teasing Ichigo, "As fun and amusing it is watching Ichigo get bullied about a female kicking his ass, we all better get going or we'll be late." He stood up and grabbed his things, fixing his glasses once more.

_..!.._

Before everyone parted for their classes, they said their goodbyes and said they'd all meet at lunch around 2PM. Ichigo had his first class with Grimm and inwardly cussed to himself about having to break up what was going on between him and this unknown female.

Ichigo walked down the beautiful stone pathway, the trees moved back and forth from the breeze that briefly passed them. He stopped a couple of feet away from a bench Grimmjow and his temporary mistress was on, sucking each other's faces off like animals. He was pretty much used to this.

Grimm had at least 3 new girls he was messing with each and every day. If Grimm was single, Ichigo would understand why he would do such a thing but... he wasn't. So for him, it was nothing but irritating. Ichigo had no room to talk, though. He didn't know much about relationship because the only ones he was in only lasted for a single night.

Ichigo sighed and cleared his throat to catch his attention. Grimmjow moved the hand that was at her hip to one of her breasts; Ichigo's eye twitched and decided just to shout his name. That's right, when it came to Grimmjow, he wasn't the least bit afraid of showing his '_affection_' out in public.

"Hey Grimmjow! Cut it out! We have to get to class." Grimmjow released himself from the blonde, they both glared at him intensely, "Just _tell the teach_ I'll be a bit late. I'm a little fucking busy here." Grimmjow rolled his eyes and turned back to the blonde, smiling with lust as he captured his lips with her's once again.

Ichigo shrugged and began walking off to his first class, "Alright, bud." Ichigo didn't think much of Grimmjow's little affairs he's had for years now. It wasn't any of his business and he had no kind of attachment to this Rukia.

He did think it was a pretty messed up thing to do but there wasn't anything he could do about it. '_Maybe he'll tone it down a bit when she's actually here…_' Ichigo thought to himself. However, he knew that it was possible that he could be very, _very _wrong.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to all who have read! I really appreciate it! If you like the story so far, please review if you're able to! It would be a lot to me! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

_ Glistening violet eyes scanned the ice cream menu, debating on what to choose. Rukia chewed on her pointer finger as her eyes continued moving back and forth between two flavors. "Hmm…" She looked over at Momo who had already chosen and was already devouring hers._

_"Raspberry or Boston Cream Pie?" Momo scrunched her face up when Rukia mentioned the second flavor. "Eh… Boston Cream Pie is kind of bland…" The cashier gave her a stern look; Momo put her free hand up, "Sorry… just helping her out." Rukia looked at the cashier with a smile, "Raspberry it is then!" _

_ The two of them walked around the park as they ate their ice cream in silence. They watched as small children stormed by on their scooters and bikes, families having group picnics and people playing with their pets. Momo turned her head towards Rukia after a short while, debating if she should even bring this up, "Hey… I was wondering something?" Rukia gave her ice cream one last lick before responding, "Hmm? What is it?" _

_Momo moved her eyes around a bit, "Mmm... I was wondering if you wanted to go on a double date with Toshiro and I?" Rukia stopped suddenly, tempted to throw her ice cream in her dear friends face. _

_"A BLIND date? _Really_, Momo?" Momo shrugged, licking her ice cream, "Well... we only have another week here before we go home… I wanted you to at least have _some_ fun." Rukia shook her head in disbelief, "What do you mean? I've had fun here!" Momo laughed nervously, "Spending all of your time in a library is fun…?" _

_Rukia bit off a piece of her cone, clearly she was insulted, "Uh, yeah. It's my type of fun. See, this is why I have no idea how we became friends! You're the complete opposite of me." Momo ate the last of her cone, speaking while chewing it, "__Rukia, you have to let loose sometimes. Plus, the guy that I'm hooking you up with is nice!" _

_Rukia sighed and knew that she wouldn't be able to get her friend off her back unless she agreed to do this. And if she didn't, not only would she bug her now, but she'd bug her all the way home and months after that! _

_Rukia finally gave in, crossing her arms over her chest, "Fine…" Momo squealed in delight and hugged her friend tightly, "Great! I promise you'll have an amazing time!" They continued to walk, their footsteps in sync. _

_Rukia laughed as she spoke, "No, that's where you're wrong. An 'amazing time' would be where my best friend doesn't come up with some wacko idea and leaves me in peace." Momo smiled and shoved her friend slightly._

_ "You're right, we're both very different from each other. But, that's the best thing about it! Because we both have different perspectives on things and know what each other's missing!" Rukia shook her head, responding jokingly, "Yes, like you seriously need to look into how to install a sleep mode into this thing." Rukia said, nudging Momo's head. _

_Momo tapped her chin with her pointer finger, "Yeah, I guess I do need to put myself into sleep mode sometimes…" Rukia snorted, "More like let your batteries die down." Momo shoved her again, laughing._

_..!.._

_Rukia stood before her mirror, turning her body from left to right to get a good view of herself. She wore a red peplum dress, a skinny white waist belt with a gold buckle and some white heels. _

_She mumbled quietly, asking herself why she was so nervous. "Oh that's right, probably because this is my _first_ freaking date!" Rukia wasn't extremely social. She wasn't the awkward type, either. She just liked spending most of her time alone. She felt like she got to know herself better that way. _

_Rukia lifted her hands to her hair, putting up into an up-do clipping it still. A knock at her door made her jump a bit. She looked towards the door and then back at herself, taking a deep breath. She shook her head and walked quickly towards the door, grabbing her purse before opening the door. _

_Momo's high pitched squeal made Rukia feel like she needed a hearing aid for the next 80 years of her life. "Rukia! You look stunning!" Rukia smiled at the compliment, "Thank you, Momo. You don't look too bad yourself!" Momo giggled as she twirled around in her lacy pink dress. "Toshiro practically melted! He won't admit it but I saw it on his face!" _

_Rukia was surprised; the most emotion that Toshiro showed was… 'Huh… can't think of a time where he showed any type of emotion…' Rukia thought, shrugging. Momo took her hand and led her to Toshiro's car. "You are NOT going to regret this night!" Rukia got into the back seat of Toshiro's car, receiving a calm greeting from him. _

_She returned it, "You look very nice, Toshiro. Where are we headed anyways?" Momo smiled widely in delight, "We're going to Fodor's!" Rukia whistled, "Wow, really? Isn't that the most expensive restaurant here in Karakura?" Toshiro nodded, keeping his eyes on the road, "They recently added it to the town." _

_Momo jumped up and down in her seat clearly excited from the thought that they were nearly there. "They only let certain people in and since Toshiro's father enjoys it there, Toshiro can go whenever he'd like!" Rukia smiled, "Thank you, Toshiro. It's very kind of you to allow us to have dinner there." Toshiro tried smiling back but failed miserably. _

_"You're welcome, Rukia. It's no trouble at all." Rukia chuckled inwardly at his attempt. Toshiro's father owned a multi-millionaire company so Toshiro was a bit spoiled, so to speak. Rukia leaned her head against the window, staring at the cars that passed by. Toshiro had some classical music on while he spoke with Momo about some things. _

_Rukia didn't feel like butting-in, she was too nervous about this date. Rukia blew at the small part of her bangs that happened to slip through the clip and onto her face, "So... Who is this guy?" Momo waved her hand, "Oh, just some hunk!" Rukia kicked the back of Momo's chair, making her laugh. _

_"His name is Grimmjow! Toshiro has known him longer than I have. I've met him and he's a pretty nice guy." Rukia thought that wasn't much of an explanation but she took it anyway. "He will be at the restaurant before us. According to him, he doesn't want to make a bad first impression." __Toshiro said as he turned into the parking lot. _

_The restaurant was absolutely beautiful. It almost looked like a mansion, the walls covered in ivy, stone pathways and a fountain in the front._

_Just as Toshiro said, Grimmjow was indeed early. In fact, Toshiro caught him flirting with their waitress. He winced at the picture, hoping Rukia didn't notice. They walked up to the front desk, an older male sitting behind it, glancing up at the three. "Mr. Hitsugaya, it's nice to see you again." The man said politely, bowing briefly towards Rukia and Momo, "Your table is ready, sir." _

_The man led them towards their table. Toshiro was out of luck because Rukia happened to notice Grimmjow whispering something into their waitresses ear, making her giggle like a love struck school girl. Rukia rose one of her eyebrows, curious of whom Momo set her up with. A bad feeling started to form in her stomach, feeling like something was completely and utterly wrong. _

_Grimmjow's head turned towards the three of them as they came into his vision, looking guilty. That facial expression soon left his face as soon as he looked at Rukia. Momo and Toshiro greeted him but Grimmjow didn't care to notice, his eyes still fixated on Rukia. Rukia smiled at Grimmjow, reaching her right hand out to greet him. "Hello, I'm Rukia Kuchiki, it's nice to meet you." _

_Grimmjow shook his head to knock some sense into himself. He glanced at her hand and stood up with her, grabbing her hand gently, turning it over to kiss the back of it. A light pink shade stained Rukia's cheeks as he did this. "Rukia… what an extraordinary name…" _

_Rukia's cheeks flushed into a deep red, 'What is wrong with me?!' Rukia thought to herself. 'Maybe it's those blue eyes… or the way his hair falls in the right places… or maybe that smil-' Rukia forced herself to stop thinking about it. Grimmjow made his way to her side, pulling her chair out for her, "My lady…" Grimmjow bored his eyes into hers, making her legs feel like jello. _

_She sat down and quietly thanked him. He sat back down himself, his eyes still glued to hers. "So you're a Kuchiki? Would you happen to be Byakuya Kuchiki's younger sister?" Rukia wasn't surprised that Grimjoww knew of her brother. He was the CEO of the Kuchiki Property Group, after all. Her brother owned practically everything from Karakura to over one thousand miles out. _

_Rukia simply nodded as she took a sip of her water. "Yes, I am." Grimmjow's eyes widened a bit, "Wow… Your brother happens to be my role model. He's accomplished so much in such a short period of time." He leaned forward a little, his eyes locked with hers, "A Kuchiki… I don't think I can let you go without you agreeing to accompany me on another date…" _

_Toshiro's eyebrow shot up, "We haven't even finished thi-" Toshiro closed his mouth shut tightly as Momo kicked him in the shin, smiling wide, her teeth grinding as she spoke, "Toshiro, honey, let them socialize." Toshiro gave in, nodding in defeat. _

_Before Rukia could respond, their waitress came by with a small notepad and pen in hand—the exact same one Grimmjow was 'chatting up' with. She smiled cheerfully at the group, "Welcome to Fodor's! I'll be your waitress for tonight, so if you need anything, just let me know!" _

_She stared at Grimmjow seductively, making Toshiro choke a bit on his water, "Sir, what can I get you to drink?" Grimmjow smirked and responded, "I'll have a coke, please." She nodded as she wrote it down then turned her head to Rukia, her smiled faded. "You?" She blandly said, Rukia noticed this but ignored it, "I'll just have a sprite." _

_The waitress wrote it down and continued with the others. They ordered their food as well and sat patiently. Rukia sat up straight in her chair, placing her napkin neatly across her lap, "So, Grimmjow. What are your plans for college?" _

_Grimmjow smiled at her, "I will be going to Sachiko University. Once I obtain the recommended credits, I will be applying for an internship at your brother's company." Rukia was taken back. She didn't know her brother was that much of an influence on him._

_"Wow, you seem very dedicated to this already." Grimmjow nodded and smirked at her, leaning forward towards her more, "You could definitely say that but… I think I found something much more appealing to be dedicated about…" His words came out soft and smooth, making Rukia's stomach tingle. _

_The dinner went by slowly; they received their food and talked more. Eventually, the conversations eased themselves into a more comfortable state to a point where they were telling stories and laughing with one another. _

_Rukia admitted to herself that she did have a good time, excluding the times when the waitress came by as she leaned forward to place things on their table, giving Grimmjow a good view of her breasts. _

_As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew that Grimmjow took the advantage to get a decent peak at them. Rukia thought she would just give it time. But in this case, Grimmjow was nothing more than invulnerable to time; nothing would change him._

_..!.._

Momo's small hands were covering her entire face as she thought back to that time_. _Ever since that day, she had felt nothing but guilt whenever she spoke to her best friend over the phone. Her back was against a tall willow tree, her knees against her chest.

'What am I going to do…?' Momo thought, her eyes filled with tears as she continued to stress about it. Momo closed her eyes tightly, feeling the tears tickle down to the corners of her nose and across her lips. Momo had no idea what kind of guy Grimmjow was when she first met him.

She was too focused on Toshiro and their new relationship to ever care to notice Grimmjow's wandering eyes. It wasn't until recently that Momo noticed that Grimmjow left with the ogling and into actual physical relationships. She didn't know what to tell Rukia, she didn't want to worry her. She had thought that the two of them went so well together.

She thought Grimmjow cared for Rukia. Momo's heart stopped as the pain overwhelmed it, breathing fast and deeply only to draw more tears from her eyes as all of her negative thoughts on the subject tangled inside of her head.

_..!.._

Toshiro walked to the Panera Bread on their campus that they met at most days for lunch. One of his hands held his jacket over his shoulder, pushing the door open with his other. He quickly found spiky orange hair poking out from the corner, walking towards it. He stood in front of the table, a confused look on his face.

He turned to Orihime who was sitting next to Renji, "Orihime, have you seen Momo?" He asked her this because before lunch, they both had the same English class together. Orihime shook her head as she put down her grilled cheese sandwich, "No, I'm sorry Toshiro… I _did_ see her run towards the back of the school but I don't know if she left or is still on campus—she didn't tell me."

Toshiro nodded and thanked her before he turned to leave. Orihime looked across the table at Ishida and Ichigo, "Do you think she's okay?" Ishida turned the page of his Physics book, speaking up, "She has Toshiro as a partner, if she isn't fine now, she will be."

Renji lightly placed one of his hands on Orihime's shoulder, "Hey, don't worry about it. Momo can take care of herself." She nodded a little, deciding to let it go as she continued to eat.

_..!.._

Toshiro's shoes grazed against the dry grass as he traveled to the abnormally tall willow tree in the middle of the courtyard. He continued, walking across a small bridge, the water flowing gracefully. Toshiro stood beside Momo's sitting form, looking down at her.

As soon as Momo noticed this, she quickly wiped her tears away and smiled cheerfully at Toshiro, "Hey Toshiro!" Toshiro smiled sadly, sitting next to her, "Hey… What are you up to?" He asked, his tone filled with worry.

Momo grabbed a random book that she had prepared to put next to her just in case Toshiro _did_ happen to come find her. She showed Toshiro as she put it into her lap, "Just reading!" Toshiro knew she was lying; her eyes were a bit red and puffy, she was still sniffing quietly and breathed through her mouth.

Momo continued to "read" her book as Toshiro stared at her blankly. He took his hand and grabbed her chin with her fingers, moving her head so her eyes met his, "What's wrong, Momo…?" She could never keep anything from him too long with his gorgeous ice blue eyes scanning hers with pain and worry. Momo's breath quickened as her eyes filled with tears again, hugging Toshiro tightly.

He sighed into her hair, closing his eyes and held her tightly. Toshiro let her cry some more, he knew she was able to talk better after getting some of emotion out. Momo pulled away and Toshiro took that chance to wipe her tears away with his hands. "I hope it's that book that's making you cry." Momo laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Rukia means so much to me… I feel like I'm stabbing her straight into the back with not telling her what's going on." Toshiro's eyes never left Momo's, "Momo, you will soon find out that things happen for a reason…" Momo's eyebrows furrowed, "Toshiro… I can't let something as horrible as this happen to my best friend! Not when I _know_ that I was apart of all of this..."

Toshiro shook his head, "Momo, whether she hears it from you or sees it with her own eyes, she will find out eventually. And you never know, this could change her life in a good way." Momo shook her head quickly, tears falling down her chin, "How can something as repulsive as_ this_ contribute anything good into her life?"

Toshiro tucked her bangs behind her ear, "You'd be amazed at what good could come out of this, Momo… We just have to leave it be. Whatever is going on between Grimmjow and Rukia is _their_ business. They will figure it out on their own; we have no need to interfere…"

Momo calmed down a bit as Toshiro held her close for awhile. This wasn't the first time Momo had a break down about this. 6 years had passed so she had many episodes of depression. The best that Toshiro could do was comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay.

Toshiro smiled as he broke the silence, "They added your wild blueberry muffin back into the bakery menu at Panera…" Momo's head shot up from his chest, her eyes wide with delicious delight.

"Really?! Why didn't you say that sooner?! I would have stopped my moping immediately!" Momo quickly gathered her things and pulled Toshiro with her, running back to Panera Bread as she giggled in pure joy.

_..!.._

Rukia had a scheduled flight to Sachiko. It was approximately an 8 hour flight with one plane change. She sat there in her general gate area, staring at her flight information pamphlet, reading the 'Gate A2' written on it. She had about 15 minutes before they started lining people up for boarding.

She was extremely happy that she got early bird check-in. That way, she could get a lower number and be able to pick whatever seat she wanted. Her first flight was fine, it was the longest but she was happy she got it over with. Her second flight, the one she'll be boarding soon, is her plane change and will only last an hour.

Rukia lifted her head to see how many people were around her so she could tell if it was a full flight. A handful of people were there, almost all of them messing with their iPhones and iPads. Rukia chuckled quietly, thinking of her crappy small phone she had with scratches all over it.

She was beyond stubborn when it came to things like this. Her phone wasn't broken so she had no reason to buy a new one. 'But then again…' Rukia thought, 'The keys are getting hard to push…' She knew she would have to get a new one eventually.

As Rukia was thinking about her phone, a young man came up to the podium at their gate and moved his mouth close the microphone. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be your boarding host for today. Passengers with disabilities and medical conditions will be boarding first, if you'll line up in front of me that would be gladly appreciated."

An anxious feeling overwhelmed Rukia's stomach suddenly. She always got this way right before she visited Grimmjow. "Passengers with children will line up behind our first group and then we'll move onto the rest of you." Rukia watched as 2 people in wheel chairs headed down the jet bridge, small children with families following after.

After about 5 minutes, the announcer spoke again, "Alright, I'll have my Group A one through thirty line up please." Rukia took her boarding pass from her coat pocket, glancing at it again, making sure she had her number correct. She walked up to the line and stood at her rightful place.

As soon as the announcer said so, they all walked through the jet bridge in a single line, the announcer scanning their boarding passes one by one. Rukia found a window seat near the front of the plane and immediately shoved her purse under the seat in front of her, turned her phone off, shoved it into her pocket, buckled her seat-belt and sighed as she let her head fall back onto the head rest. 'Just one more hour…' Rukia thought to herself as her eyes closed.

Rukia was so exhausted from her 6 hour plane ride before that she didn't even notice when they took off. Rukia's eyes fluttered open suddenly from the lights on the airplane turning on. She glanced at the light above her, curious to why it was light pink. She looked out the window, the sunset setting right before her eyes.

'Hmm... Maybe that has something to do with it…' She always wondered why they did that; she guessed the pilot just wanted everyone to appreciate the sunsets view from up high. Her eyes turned away from the sunset and into the cabin.

She noticed a couple sitting on the opposite side of the plane, admiring their loving smiles at one another as they talked. A young and attractive female flight attendant walked by to assist an elderly man with his bag that was on the floor.

She bent down to pick it up, her rear sticking out quite a bit. Rukia's eyes stayed on the male as she wondered if he would notice. Her heart fluttered as she noticed that his eyes never left his partners. 'He…wasn't even aware…' Rukia thought to herself. She sat back and sighed, 'What a lucky girl…'

* * *

_A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviewed so far! Every single one met so much to me! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll be sure to update soon! _


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Rukia's plane finally landed, the sky darkened and was now pitch black. Rukia retrieved her bags from the baggage claim and took the transit to her car rental. She got into her red Ford Fiesta and started the car. She sat there for a bit, wondering what made Grimmjow so busy that he couldn't come pick her up from the airport. She glanced at her rental cars clock, reading '9:24PM'. 'It isn't _that_ late…'

_..!.._

Grimmjow sat in his apartment, his shirt off and just in pajama pants. He was sitting on the kitchen floor, back against the cabinet. His knees were brought up with both of his elbows resting on each knee, one of his hands holding a beer. There were several bottles of every kind of strong alcohol imaginable all around him.

He stared at the indentations of his kitchen tile on the floor in front of him. His eyes were heavy and bloodshot. 'Fuck…' Grimmjow thought to himself. A fully naked and sleeping woman was sprawled across his bed in the other room and it definitely wasn't Rukia.

He was self loathing, calling himself every insult ever known to man. His heart started beating fast when his thoughts led to Rukia. His eyes softened and started watering a bit. '_She was so… beautiful… so… perfect…_'

_ The fair took place right in the middle of Karakura near the Karakura Community Park and the Mashiba Middle School. Before Rukia, Momo and Toshiro left their double date, Rukia agreed to another double date to the town fair for the next night. _

_Grimmjow waited near the ticket booth for the three, chewing some gum after he threw his cigarette down. It was the late afternoon and the only noises Grimmjow could hear were joyful screams, the rides functioning and the ticket booth man near him. He looked to be in his late 30's, bald, short and a little on the heavy side. _

_Grimmjow admitted to himself that he was nervous, he didn't know what to expect with Rukia. He had dated almost everyone in his high school (including some teachers) and every single one meant nothing to him. But with Rukia, the minute he laid eyes on her, his outlook on everything had changed. _

_Grimmjow turned to the ticket booth, fixing his hair in the reflection of the window. The ticket booth man leaned his head out the window from the side, "Hey kid, beat it! This aint no fuckin salon, pretty boy." _

_Grimmjow smirked and beckoned him to come out from his little hidey hole, "Get the fuck over here and say that to my god damn face, old man." The ticket booth man shut his mouth, smiling to another customer that came up to him. _

_As soon as the customer left, he looked at Grimmjow with an intense glare, "See this button, punk?" He asked Grimmjow, pointing to a small red button on the inside wall next to him, "I can press this baby any time I want and security will come over and sweep you off your fucking feet." _

_Grimmjow's chuckle was low, slowly walking to the front window, "Can't fight your own battles, baldy? What? Are you scared of me?" Grimmjow's face got close to his, "Do I intimidate you?" The ticket booth man's breath caught in his throat, a terrified look plastered across his face. _

_"Hey, Grimmjow. Thanks for standing in line for us." Toshiro came up behind Grimm and firmly placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back behind him. He took out his wallet and pulled some cash out, "Four tickets please." The ticket booth man's eyes never left Grimmjow, observing him closely. _

_He grabbed the money and placed it into the cash register, handing Toshiro the tickets. "Enjoy your time." They all entered the fair one by one, Grimmjow behind them all. He took a last glance at the man behind him, noticing him pointing his finger at the red button again, scowling. Grimmjow smirked and gave him the finger. _

_He noticed that he was far behind the group and ran up next to Rukia, smiling next to her. "You look beautiful tonight, Rukia." Rukia blushed and looked away as she messed with her yellow sun dress, "Thank you…" He chuckled and lowered his face down to hers, his breath tickling her face, "No need to be shy, I'm just being honest…" _

_Momo pointed to a ride called the 'Screamin Swings', jumping up and down next to her boyfriend, begging him to go on it with her. Momo turned to the two of them, "Gotta drag Toshiro around now! Have fun on your _date_!" Momo winked at Rukia and took off with Toshiro, leaving Rukia and Grimmjow to themselves. _

_Rukia laughed quietly, Grimmjow noticing. "What was that all about? The emphases on date, that is?" Rukia shook her head, laughing again. "Oh, it's just that this is my first…actual date." Grimmjow's eyebrows rose, causing her to blush with embarrassment. "Really…? You've never gone out with anyone before?" Rukia shook her head, looking up at him, "Nope, never." _

_Grimmjow smiled sweetly at her, "Well then, I'm honored to be your first." Rukia's cheeks started hurting from smiling too much. Grimmjow scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Uhm so… want to walk around a bit?" Rukia nodded shyly, taking the first step. 'Jesus Christ… I'm never nervous around girls… What's so different about this one…?' _

_Grimmjow decided to break the uncomfortable silence,"So… tell me about yourself. We didn't do much one on one talking last night." Rukia turned to look at him and then straight ahead of her, watching as a child ran in front of her while holding a blue balloon. "Well, there's not much to tell. I like to read and write, I'm generally quiet around people and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do." _

_Grimmjow nodded, indicating that he was listening. "Well, I'm positive that with whatever you choose, you'll be amazing." He smiled as he complimented her, she turned her head shyly and about to say thank you but something caught her eye, "Chappy!" She ran towards the claw machine, literally sticking her face and hands against the glass. _

_Grimmjow laughed and stood next to her, pulling a quarter from his jacket pocket and inserting it into the machine. Rukia stood there and watched him, his eyes so focused and controlled. The claw slowly came down onto a white stuffed Chappy rabbit, gripping it then pulling it up, both of their eyes lit with surprise as the claw slowly moved towards the empty box. _

_But unfortunately, it slipped through the claw just inches away from him retrieving it. Rukia smirked sadly, turning to him. His face was filled with disappointment as he pulled out another quarter from his right pocket. Rukia placed her hands on that arm and shoved it down, "Oh please don't! I don't want you to waste your money on a silly stuffed animal." _

_Grimmjow looked into her eyes, "It's not wasting if I'm doing it for you." Rukia smiled and gave in. "But first, you have to kiss this quarter for good luck." She looked at him suspiciously, her lips curling up into a cute smirk, "Come on, now. You're my good luck charm." Rukia moved her lips towards the quarter that Grimmjow was holding with his thumb and pointer finger. _

_Her lips pressed against it as well as his thumb. Grimmjow observed her closely, his heart skipping a beat when he felt her soft lips against his skin. He snapped out of it and slid the quarter into the machine socket. Within seconds, Grimmjow obtained the stuffed rabbit and handed it to her. She squealed lowly and hugged it closely to her chest. _

_Grimmjow's heart fluttered with joy when he saw how happy she was. He kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand, leading her from place to place, from ride to ride. They did nothing but scream, laugh, smile and enjoy their time together. The time went by and Grimmjow led Rukia a little outside of the fair and onto a hill of grass, overlooking the entire fair. _

_They both sat next to each other in silence, admiring the beautiful lights in front of them. Rukia fiddled with her fingers in her lap, glancing at Grimmjow for a brief second, "I… had a wonderful time tonight…" Grimmjow's hands were shoved in his pockets, a smile on his face as those words escaped her lips. His head turned away from the fair, his eyes searching hers. "I did too…" _

_The corners of Rukia's lips found their way into a small smile, her eyes glued to his. He leaned his face a little closer to hers. Rukia's fingers stopped moving, her face becoming more serious as she looked at his lips then back to his eyes. He moved closer and closer, Rukia's thoughts were screaming out when she figured out what was about to happen. _

_She could feel his warm breath on her skin, her eyes were nearly closed. He finally closed the gap and pushed his lips against hers softly. Her body was frozen, her thoughts vanished. It took her a couple of seconds to realize what was going on. _

_Her lips pushed against his as he was kissing her, one of his hands grasped the back of her head. After awhile, they finally parted, looking into each other's eyes. They both smiled at one another, wishing that night would never end._

_..!.._

A single tear fell from his eyes and traveled down his cheek. That was one of the best memories he ever had in his life and felt like he ruined it with all the things he had done. He was too stubborn to figure out why. He didn't want to believe that what he was doing could emotionally kill the woman he loved.

He knew she would find out one day. He feared it every waking moment. Anger filled his mind and body as he felt himself get warmer and warmer with each passing second. He stood up and threw his bottle at the wall, the glass shattering and falling into pieces all over the kitchen.

He grabbed the other bottles next to him and continued to break them against the wall, his veins popping out from all over his body. His face was red and hot, his eyes filled with pain and grief. The woman in his room started screaming. She gathered her things in a flash and ran out the door.

"Good, get the_ FUCK_ out of here! Run out of my life like _everyone_ else has you fucking _slut_!" He yelled, throwing a bottle at his front door that she just shut. He bent down and covered his head with his arms, yelling at the top of his lungs.

_..!.._

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open the next morning. He turned over to his other side to read the clock, his blankets revealing his unclothed chest. He sat there and looked at the clock that read '6:00AM' His head shot up and squinted his eyes, making sure it was what he saw.

"Six?! Fuck!" He bolted from his bed and ran to the bathroom, his hands shaking as he turned the shower on. He threw his clothes off as fast as he could, getting into the shower. He yelped as he felt the freezing cold water, "Mother Fu-"He adjusted the water and got his hair wet.

He grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his hands, massaging it into his hair. He rinsed it out a minute later, his eyes closed as the water hit his face. He blindly searched for the soap bar, feeling it with the tip of his fingers for about half a second before he knocked it over.

He growled inwardly and bent over to find it, taking a step forward to continue his search. His foot found its way on top of the soap bar, slipping and falling on his rear, "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

As soon as Ichigo finished cleaning himself, he got dressed as fast as he could and went back into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He grabbed the nearly empty toothpaste tube and squeezed it against his toothbrush. Nothing came out.

He controlled his anger and took a breath before lifting it in front his face, squeezing it with all of his strength. Ichigo's grip on it was too rough; the toothpaste squirt out all over his shirt and a pea sized amount went to his eye. He winced in pain and threw his head over the sink and turned it on, splashing water into his eye, "Really? _Really_?"

He stormed out of the door as soon as he was finished with everything and got into his car. The clock's green numbers read '6:40AM'. Ichigo sped through any kind of traffic that headed his way. He was only 2 streets away from the café when suddenly a red Ford Fiesta cut in front of him.

Ichigo stepped on the breaks and lost count of how many times he honked his horn. "Fucking crazy ass…" Ichigo mumbled to himself then laughed when he noticed what kind of car it was, "A red Fiesta, I knew it was a chick… God dammit, this day _can't_ get any worse."

Ichigo turned down the street that the café was at and nearly tore all of his hair out when the _same car_ was parked at his spot. He had to park literally down another street. His footsteps hit against the cement roughly, his shoulders hunched and his face filled with anger. He grabbed the door to thrust it open, walking into the café.

The line consisted of at least 15 people. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, 'Nope. Not workin'.' He thought hopelessly, standing at the back of the line with his arms crossed across his chest. Once it was his turn to order, he pulled out his wallet, slapping his money down in front of Harunobu.

Harunobu raised his eyebrows, "Bad day, Ichigo?" Ichigo shrugged, keeping his frown on. "It's alright, man. Here's your coffee." Before Ichigo took it, he responded, "Care to add in a gallon of sake into this shit?" Harunobu chuckled, "Don't worry about it! Drink your coffee and read, clear your mind."Ichigo nodded and thanked him for the coffee.

He walked into the bookstore, waiting to hear Ayame speak as he made his way to his chair. "Grandchildren, Ichigo, grandchildren." He smiled a little, "Yeah, they're little shits, what's new?" Ayame crossed her arms over her chest, "I want some god damn grandchildren. I haven't had a child run around this library for nearly a decade."

Ichigo looked over at her, smirking, "Can't promise you _anything_, grams." She sat down, smiling happily as he turned around to sit on his chair. But, he couldn't. A petite young woman was already sitting in it. Ichigo stared blankly at the woman reading, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he tore his eyes away from her and made his way to the Poetry bookcase.

His pointer finger ran against the books as he looked for his. He couldn't find it. He sighed, turning his head towards Ayame, "Would you happen to know where my book is? Did you take it hostage so you could make me pop out 5 little ones for you?" Ayame laughed at Ichigo's immaturity.

"No, my dear Ichigo, of course not! I love you too much to do something _so rash_." Ichigo rolled his eyes and let out a short laugh. He decided to just take a seat next to the young woman until his eyes caught something disturbingly interesting. She was sitting there, in _his_ chair, reading _his_ book.

He noticed her keys lying on the table between the two chairs, reading the _'Fiesta'_ engraved on her car key. He tilted his head to the side and pointed his finger at her. "You're that reckless driver who nearly killed me this morning." The young woman didn't lift her head, "You're the one that got in my way."

Ichigo laughed, "You were driving 60 on a 35 street!" She still kept her head down, "You were driving 50, what's your point?" Ichigo clenched his hands to his sides, "The point is that you are in _my_ chair, reading _my_ book." She finally lifted her head, not amused in the slightest. "What do a chair and a book have to do with it?"

Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he stared at her with a blank face. The sun hit her face so perfectly, every flash spot making all of her beauty features pop out before his very own eyes. "Uhm... you are… Uh…" Ichigo stuttered, staring at her blankly as Rukia rose one of her eyebrows in confusion. "You... You are... are…"

Rukia stood up, placing her hands on her hips as she lifted her head to give him a death glare. Ichigo let out a loud and short laugh, pointing his finger at her once again, "You're SHORT!" Rukia tilted her head, her hands closing to clench tightly, her finger nails poking the insides of her hands. "_Excuse me_?"

Ichigo smirked, "You heard me, _midget_." Rukia smirked back, "I didn't know carrots could talk." Ichigo's smirked faded; he dropped his head and spoke low, "I'm… I'm sorry…" Rukia's smirk slowly disappeared, "Did I… hurt your feelings…?" She walked up to him and touched his arm, "I didn't mean t-"

Ichigo suddenly grabbed his book that she "stole" and held it above her head, "Hey! You can't just do something like that! I thought I _really_ screwed up!" She yelled, jumping to try to reach the book. "_Au contraire_, you _did_. You messed up with your shit driving, taking my book and taking my seat."

Rukia kept jumping as she raised her voice angrily, "I'm sorry I don't know _every little detail_ of your life!" Ichigo suddenly thought of something, "You could." Rukia's eyebrows furrowed, confused beyond belief. "What?!" Ichigo leaned his face closer to hers, her arms still reaching up for the book.

"Let me take you out to lunch." Rukia stopped moving, "What?!" Ichigo smiled, "You heard me." Rukia sighed and looked around, debating on what to do. "Will it get you off my back?" Ichigo nodded slowly, smiling more. She sighed again and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine, only this once, though." Ichigo replied, "Fine." He handed her the book, she snatched it away and sat back down, reading it once again. Ayame stared at the two, a hand over her heart as she started to tear up.

He smiled to himself as he stared at her, 'This isn't such a bad day after all…'

_..!.._

The clock hit 2:30PM, students fleeing from the classroom to get to lunch. Ichigo's footstep's sped up as he walked to his car. Grimmjow caught Ichigo's arm when Ichigo was almost to the parking lot. "Hey man, where you going? We're all meeting at Panera!"

Ichigo shook his head, a goofy smile suddenly appearing on his face, "Naw, man. I gotta be somewhere." Grimmjow smiled widely, "You met a hot chick, didn't you?!" Ichigo laughed, his eyes filled with happiness, "You could say that." Grimmjow was in awe, "What's her name?" Ichigo shrugged, "I don't know."

Grimmjow shook a finger at him, "Yet!" Ichigo laughed some more and ran to his car, yelling behind him, "Yet!"

Ichigo and Rukia met on the same street as the café, having lunch across it at small pizza joint. They were laughing hysterically while Ichigo was telling a story, "And then my sister walks over to my dad slaps him across the face with it!" Rukia threw her head back and laughed, holding her stomach, "Oh my gosh…! Your family sounds like so much fun to be around!"

Ichigo smiled, nodding at the comment, "Yeah… they're really great." Rukia calmed down, "Do you miss them?" Ichigo nodded again, swallowing a small part of his pizza he was chewing, "Everyday." Rukia took another bite of hers, asking him another question as soon as she swallowed, "When are you going to see them again?"

She took a sip of her drink, waiting for his response, "I'll be seeing them next weekend, actually." She kept her eyes on his, her smile never leaving her lips, "I wish I could meet them…" Ichigo raised his eyebrows for a second as he jokingly responded, "Wow… I didn't know we were going _that_ fast."

Rukia laughed and smacked his arm lightly, "No! They seem like very nice and entertaining people. And as little as I know you, I wouldn't mind paying to see them pick on you like you guys do to your father." Ichigo grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well… do you want to come? We can drive down there together—it's only an hour long drive."

Rukia paused, her smile fading, "Oh… I would love to but…" Ichigo cut her off and waved his hand up, "No, no! I'm sorry for asking, I shouldn't have took it seriously." Rukia shook her head, "It's not that, it's… I'm only here in town for a week…" Ichigo frozen in place, "Oh… Are you here on a business trip or something…?"

She re-adjusted herself in her chair, "No, I'm seeing some loved ones before I go back to school three thousand miles away from here." Ichigo stared at her for awhile, "Three thousand… miles... away…?" She nodded, noticing the shocked look on his face. She was about to speak but he beat her to it.

"Well, I better make sure you have an amazing week while you're here." Rukia's heart stopped as she looked at him, trying not to think of how much she already felt for him. "I'd like that..." Ichigo nodded while he made a silly grin, making her blush.

Ichigo walked Rukia back to her car, checking his watch to see if he was late for his next class. He opened her car door for her, receiving a thank you. She rolled her window down and smiled up at him, "Why won't you tell me your name…?" He asked, Rukia's eyes lowered, "It's not important to know."

Ichigo leaned against her car, his elbow pressing above the window. "Can I _at least_ know if you'll meet me here again tomorrow?" Rukia nodded, smiling again, "I'll be here." Ichigo chuckled happily and backed away, waving goodbye to her as she drove off.

He stood there with his hands in his pockets, thinking to himself 'Three thousand miles can kiss my ass.'

* * *

_A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so excited about continuing this story that I've made it a goal to update as quickly as I can! To everyone that asked questions, all of them will be answered in the future chapters! Thank you so much again for reading, you guys are awesome! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Once Ichigo left, he hopped into his car and made his way to the college. He had just enough time to sit with his friends for about 15 minutes before class started. Ichigo locked his car and made his way out of the parking lot and straight to Panera.

Walking in was a little tough, the entire place was filled with students, talking, laughing and ordering their food. Grimmjow waved him over, the rest of them greeting Ichigo as he came by to sit next to Orihime. They all sat there, staring at him in silence. He looked up and noticed this, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Everyone shook their heads. "Why are you so… happy?" Renji asked, cocking an eyebrow up. Ichigo didn't notice that his smile from earlier with Rukia had never faded. "It was that chick, wasn't it?!" Grimmjow smiled widely as he said this. Orihime smiled cheerfully, "You were on a date?!"

Ichigo laughed nervously, "No! It was just some… girl I met and I asked her out to lunch." Grimmjow smirked, "Dude, that's a date." Ichigo replied, "But it wasn't! I was just getting to know her! She is here visiting some family or some shit and she kind of ruined my day." Chad spoke up, "Ruined it?"

Ichigo nodded, "She's a crappy driver and nearly cost me my car. She was at the same café I go to every morning and didn't give two shits that she was taking _my_ chair and book." Ichigo never lost his smile, his face lit up with joy as he talked about her.

Everyone listened closely; it was rare whenever Ichigo felt like this because he _never_ felt like this. "So, I jacked it from her and forced her to choose between me bugging her or her going out to eat with me." Ishida kept his eyes on a book he was reading, "I believe the correct term is 'date'"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, ignoring him. "Do you know her name now?" Grimmjow asked Ichigo, it clear that he was waiting all day to ask him this. Ichigo shook his head, "She said it wasn't important to know." Renji winced, "Ouch!"

Grimmjow shook his head, "No, no, no. Just hold on a second. If she isn't telling you her name, obviously she wants you to chase her." Ichigo snorted, "Yeah, sure." Grimmjow replied, "No, really! Chase her! Get what you want and don't let her go." Orihime and Momo looked at each other as Grimmjow said this.

Momo's eyes saddened. She wanted to say something so bad… but she felt frozen in place. Ichigo sighed as he looked out the window next to them, "She lives so far away, though…" Toshiro wiped his hands on his napkin, "So what? If you really like the girl, take her. What do you have to lose?"

Momo smiled up at him, laying her head against his arm, "Yeah, Ichigo. She sounds like a great match for you! She won't take any of your crap!" Ichigo chuckled lightly and agreed, "Alright, then! I'll do my best." Ichigo felt confident but little did he know, he was in for a _huge_ surprise.

_..!.._

Ichigo and Grimmjow walked to their next class, Chad and Orihime not far behind them. "I don't think this girl wants me to chase her… I think there's more behind it… I can feel it in my gut." Ichigo said as he placed a hand on his stomach. Grimmjow looked over at him, "Well, if it's something bad, I'm sure you could save her from it."

Ichigo smiled a little, "Yeah, maybe…" Grimmjow placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder for a brief second, "Hey, I gotta do something really quick." He said, running over to the blonde who was naked under his covers just last night. She was talking with a friend of hers, her eyes noticing Grimmjow on his way.

She quickly left her friend, saying she had to leave as she walked away, her footsteps speeding up. "Wait! Jessica!" She turned around, scowling at him, "It's _Rebecca_." Grimmjow chuckled nervously, "Yeah, sure. Hey, do you want to come over tonight? I'm going to be busy for the next few days."

She rolled her eyes and kept walking, Grimmjow's hand stopping her, "Hey, come on, I was drunk. I wasn't going to hurt you." She laughed, "Yeah, _sure_! I've heard _that_ one before!" His grip on her arm tightened as she tried to leave again. "You're hurting my arm!" She used her other hand to try to remove his arm from her.

"Hey! Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend!" Grimmjow's eyes turned away from her and onto a giant like male walking towards them. He was much taller than Grimm, his muscles looking as if they were about to pop out from all directions. He turned back to her, "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!"

She tilted her head to the side, a fake smile plastered on her face, "_You_ didn't tell _me_ you had a girlfriend." His head turned to the male and back to her. She stepped away, his grasp falling from her arm. Her boyfriend grabbed Grimmjow by the front of his shirt, pulling him close to him, his breath on his face.

"You're fucking _dead_, kid." He pushed Grimmjow back, his arm swinging behind him then slamming his fist against the side of Grimmjow's face, hitting against his cheek, nose and eye. Grimmjow's body flew back, hitting against the ground.

Ichigo ran to him, grabbing to pull him up. Grimmjow refused the help and got back up, charging into the male. "Grimmjow! Cut this shit out!" Ichigo said as he tried to get between them but got smacked for it. Ichigo stepped out and touched his face, the corner of his lip bleeding a bit. 'Mother fucker…' Ichigo thought, sighing from the stress that overwhelmed him.

_..!.._

Ichigo returned home, throwing his keys in a small bowl next to his door. He took his jacket off and hung it on the coat hanger on the opposite side. During the time that he got back and right before bed, he couldn't sit still to do anything. Rukia was constantly on his mind.

He was so tempted to call her but then realized he didn't have her number. He realized that he still didn't even have her _name. _He wanted it so badly. Ichigo thought of so many ways he could somehow receive it from her, falling asleep after awhile.

Ichigo woke up earlier than usual that morning. He wasn't in a rush; he didn't slip in the shower or get anything in his eyes. However, he did feel like he had a smile across his face for almost 24 hours straight. His whole body was filled with adrenaline and eagerness; he couldn't wait to see Rukia.

Ichigo dressed a little nicer today, actually caring about the way he looked. He quickly made his way out the door and headed out to the café. 'What if I'm too early? What if I'm too late? What if she doesn't like what I'm wearing? What if she thinks I'm trying too hard? What if—' "Gaaah!" Ichigo slapped the side of his head

"Shut up already!" Ichigo's hands were shaking as he turned into his spot next to the café. Harunobu greeted him instantly as he walked through the door. Ichigo waved and walked up to the front. "Your girlfriend already bought your coffee."

One of Ichigo's eyebrows rose, looking behind him to see Rukia in his chair again, reading the same book. There were two coffee cups next to each other, no names on them. He turned back Harunobu and nodded, "Thanks." He slowly made his way over to her, standing in front of her.

She looked up and smiled, his heart stopped again. Her hair was up in a clip today. He was able to see the entirety of her beautiful face. She was sitting there with her book in her lap, her legs crossed. She was in a slender white dress that went down to the top of her knees.

The dress had straps instead of sleeves and some white heels to match. He sat next to her, grabbing his coffee. "You didn't have to buy this, you know." She smiled at him and pinched one of his cheeks, "I just felt so bad about your horrible day yesterday. Mrs. Ayame told me all about it!"

He looked over at Ayame, glaring at her. She bent her head down so her eyes and the top of her head were only visible. He looked at his cup as his fingers drummed against the sides of it, "Well… It wasn't that bad…" His eyes rolled over to hers, smirking. He took a sip of the coffee a the same time as Rukia.

She stopped drinking for a second, grabbing the one he was drinking, his hands froze, looking at her with confusion "What the hell?" Rukia sipped it and placed the other one in his hands, "That was mine."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Well, if your _name_ was on it, I would know." Rukia sat there quietly, "Do you want to know my name?" Ichigo asked her and she quickly shook her head, "No, I do not." Ichigo sighed, 'That feeling again...' He thought, his stomach turning.

The room was silent for a minute, Rukia quickly changed the subject, "By the way, I won't be available the rest of the day. I know you wanted to show me around during this week but I have to meet with my brother for lunch and then see someone for dinner."

Ichigo nodded quickly, "Oh, no, that's fine! I'm just happy I was able to spend time with your Royal Shortness this morning." She glared at him, making him laugh. "So is that why you're dressed so nice today?" She nodded, lowering her coffee after she took a sip. "My brother is very, very formal. He would literally _kill me_ if I came over in sweats and a tank top."

Ichigo looked away and mumbled, "Well, I wouldn't mind seeing that…" Rukia smiled to herself. He turned back to her, "So what are you studying at your university?" Rukia book marked the book and set it on the table, "I am studying Elementary Education." She said proudly as Ichigo winced.

"Oh, ouch. Those SAT scores were pretty low, I see." Rukia laughed and smacked his arm with her book, "No, idiot! I want to be an Elementary teacher. I really enjoy being around kids. I feel like I have a lot on common with children."

Ichigo looked at her from her head to her toes, "Well... Yeah. The Lollipop Guild can't be made up of just _one_ munchkin." She opened her mouth wide, insulted. She looked over at Ayame as she pointed at Ichigo, "Do you discipline him, ?" Ayame nodded, "I try to, my dear. He is a lost cause, I'm afraid." Now Ichigo felt insulted.

Rukia smiled and turned to Ayame again, "Have you met his family, ?" Ayame sat up in her chair, "Please, call me Ayame. And yes, I have. His sisters are much more behaved and I get along so well with his father!" Ichigo decided to butt-in, "That's because all you two old grumps talk about is me getting married and having kids!"

Ayame put on her 'serious face', "Young man, I will be damned if you don't give me at least _one_ grandchild before I'm dead." Ichigo slouched in his chair and crossed his legs over on top of the table in front of them. He closed his eyes as Ayame continued to bicker.

Rukia turned to Ichigo, a small smile forming her lips as she stared at his "sleeping" face. He opened his eyes and smiled as she looked at him, "See what I have to put up with?" Rukia laughed, "Do you even want children?" She heard Ayame mumble, "He better." Ichigo shrugged and looked up at her,

"If I find the right woman, I suppose so." Rukia nodded as soon as he finished. Ichigo sat back up in his chair, "Do you?" Rukia shrugged as well, "Well, yeah, if I find the right man who can put up with me." Ichigo smirked, "Believe me, that line isn't very long."

Rukia kicked his foot with hers, "From what I can tell, there's no way in _hell_ you would be able to stand in that line, considering the fact that I already know makes you tick." Ichigo leaned forward, taking it as a challenge, "Oh really? Is that a bet?"

Rukia smiled and leaned forward as all, trying to look intimating with a silly smile was hard work, "Maybe, maybe not." Their eyes locked, Rukia noticed Ichigo looking at her lips for a second. Rukia's phone started to ring all of a sudden. She grabbed it and looked up at Ichigo, "I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's my brother."

Ichigo nodded, "Of course, take your time." Rukia went outside to answer the call, leaving Ichigo and Ayame alone. Ayame stared at Ichigo who was looking out the window at Rukia. "I told you, Ichigo." Ichigo tore his gaze from Rukia, fixing his eyes upon Ayame, "Told me what? You tell me a lot of useless crap."

She smiled at him, "She's the one, I know it." Ichigo scoffed, "In your dreams, granny." She shook her head, "No, Ichigo, in _yours_." Ichigo sat there, thinking of what to say, 'Crap, she got me this time.' He didn't reply and just saw her smile, continuing to read her book.

Rukia came back in and grabbed her things, making Ichigo stand up, "You have to leave?" he asked, confused because he thought they had at least another thirty minutes left. She nodded and smiled sadly, "Yes, my brother insists that I be there early." Ichigo followed her out the door and next to her car.

They went around to her side and she opened her door, still standing in front of him. "When will I see you again?" He asked, his tone filled with curiosity and worry. "You'll see me tomorrow. I promise." Ichigo's eyes softened, not wanting to say goodbye. She brought a hand up to his lips, one of her fingers running over the wound he had gotten yesterday from the fight.

"What happened…? I can't believe I didn't notice this before." Ichigo shrugged, "Don't worry about it, Squirt. I can take care of myself." Her face was filled with worry, "You got into a fight, didn't you?" Ichigo's eyes avoided hers, "Something like that… I was pulling a friend out of one."

Rukia sighed and got into her car, her window rolling down. She beckoned him with her finger and he obeyed, leaning down. She grabbed the side of his face with one of her hands pulling him closer. She kissed the new and fresh scar that was near the corner of his lips, looking at him afterwards.

"Be careful next time. I don't want to see another mark on you from now until I leave." He nodded, looking at her with a dreamy look. "And get that stupid look off your face, Carrot top." She pushed him away and started the car, driving off into the distance. Ichigo smiled and touched the spot that she just kissed, sighing with happiness.

_..!.._

Rukia's car stopped at mansion gates, waiting for them to open. As they opened, her car moved forward, going around an enormous fountain sitting in front of her brother's mansion. She parked her car and got out, walking up to the tall double doors. She looked at one of the sleeping lion knockers, grasping it with her hand and hit it against the door.

She waited patiently until the door opened, her brother's butler standing before her. "Hello, Curtis. It's nice to see you again." Curtis bowed, smiling gently, "Miss. Rukia, welcome back." He led her to the dining room; everything was so neatly placed and organized.

The dining room was way too big for one person, the table as well. Her brother stood from his seat as Rukia walked up to him. They briefly hugged and greeted one another. She sat down next to him, a hand coming over her to place her food in front of her. She muttered a thank you and began eating.

"I hope you are well, Rukia." Her brother said as Rukia nodded, "Yes, brother. I am doing very well. My studies are challenging but I'm getting through them with great progress." Byakuya kept silent as she spoke, "You appear to be brighter than usual. Has something commenced?"

Rukia avoided his eyes, "I did meet someone yesterday morning." Byakuya observed her closely, "Who is this man?" He didn't ask it rudely, but he was concerned. "He is a college student that lives here. Our paths crossed unexpectedly and we just started to get to know each other."

Her brother noticed a pale pink across her cheeks, "You adore this man, do you not?" Rukia felt ashamed. Here she was in a relationship where she knew something was going on behind her back and she was flirting with some man she had never met.

"I do, brother…" Rukia never knew how her brother would react; he never showed any kind of emotion in front of her, "It came to me that you are already bound with someone." Rukia nodded slowly, "Yes, I am…" He didn't make a sound of disapproval but continued to speak, "Rukia, does your partner make you happy?"

Rukia's eyes were glued on the table. Her emotions filled her heart, a tear streaming down her face, "Not anymore, brother." He nodded in silence. "You have a decision to make. Do not look at this of what _could_ happen but what _should_ happen. Ask yourself what is best for _you_." A sigh left Rukia's lips; she knew she had a lot of thinking to do.

_..!.._

She was at her brothers for about 3 hours before leaving his beautiful home. That, of course, wouldn't be the last time she saw him. She was planning on going to see her brother at least every other night and lunch. The rest of the time, she was going to see Grimmjow. And if somehow one of those events cancelled, she would try to meet up with Ichigo.

Her car pulled up to Grimmjow's apartment drive way, parking and releasing the key from the key hole. She looked at his front door with a sigh, really wanting this moment to be over with. She walked up 2 flights of stairs and to his door, knocking. Grimmjow answered it instantly. A huge smile planted itself across his lips, "Rukia!"

He picked her up and circled her around, making Rukia giggle quietly. They both looked at each other, Grimmjow suddenly moving in to kiss her. His kiss was warm and welcoming, not something she was used to. She backed away and noticed a dark circle around his eye, "What the hell happened to you?"

Grimmjow was taken back by her sudden outburst, "Really Rukia? That's the first thing you say to me? It's been 6 months since I've seen you." Rukia pushed passed him and walked into his apartment. She was shocked to see it so clean.

Everything was placed in the right spot, there weren't any crumbs of every food imaginable stuffed against the edges of the walls or anywhere else for that matter, the curtains were actually on the rod, the TV was straight and in place, etc. She set her purse down on his kitchen island and took a seat on one of the bar stools.

He accompanied her and sat across from her, grabbing her hands that were on the island. He smiled at her, "I missed you…" Rukia kept a blank face, "Then why couldn't you pick me up from the airport?" Grimmjow scratched the back of his head, "I thought I sent you a text that I was busy working on an essay?"

Rukia snorted, "An essay is more important than me? It wouldn't take you more than an hour to pick me up and drop me off. And clearly, I never got that 'text message'." Grimmjow let go of her hands, "You were going to rent a car anyway." Rukia stood up and walked to the couch.

"Yes but I still wanted to see you after sitting on my ass for nearly 10 hours just to see you." Grimmjow sat next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her, "Rukia, I'm sorry… I promise that next time, I'll pick you up and we'll come straight here and spend the rest of the day making love."

Rukia's face stiffened, not really liking that idea. "I would rather eat. I was extremely hungry when I got off the plane." He shrugged his shoulders, "Alright, I'll take you out to eat. Why didn't you eat at the airport?" Rukia moved away from him, "Because I thought _we _were going to eat when I got here."

Grimmjow moved next to her again but she moved further away, "Rukia, stop acting so childish. I said I was sorry." Rukia moved so far that there wasn't anywhere to run. He kissed her gently, mumbling against her lips that he was sorry, over and over. She sighed and kissed him back, giving into the lame apology that he probably didn't mean.

Grimmjow bent his head and started kissing her neck, making Rukia shiver in pleasure. His gentle fingers made their way to one of her dress straps, slowly moving it down so it revealed her collar bone, kissing it softly. His lips traveled up to her neck again, "I missed you so much…" Grimmjow muttered against her throat, kissing at her pulse.

At first, what Grimmjow was doing to her felt good… but somehow, Rukia imagined Ichigo in his place… and then… it felt _amazing_. Rukia let her head fall back as Grimmjow ran one of his hands up and down her side, massaging into the side of her waist.

He continued kissing her neck, making his way up to kiss along her jaw line. His hair tickled her face as he made his way up; she imagined Ichigo's orange soft and spiky hair rubbing softly against her neck and cheek, a smile forming her lips. She quickly snapped out of it and back to reality, realizing that he wasn't Ichigo. He was Grimmjow. 'This is going to be a long, long night…'

_..!.._

"She is just amazing, plain and simple. I don't know any other way to put it." Ichigo's iPhone was on speaker phone and on his chest. His body was laid out on his couch, one of his arms resting over his forehead. "Ichigo, you didn't get her name, did you?" Renji was on the other side of that call, asking him a question he didn't want to hear.

He sighed and took a second to answer, "No, I didn't." His eyes winced when Renji replied, "What the hell kind of game are you playing here?! You want her, don't you?" Ichigo nodded then forgot he was on the phone, "Yes, of course I do! Can't you fucking tell? That old hag can even tell!" Renji sighed into the phone.

"Yeah, well we all know that her head is forever lost in the inconceivable part of romance. Anyways, what the hell?! Get her fucking name already!" Ichigo rolled his eyes back in irritation, "Renji, I'm trying! She left so quickly and the moment was never right. And… I was kind of dazed out when she kissed me."

Renji gripped each end of his chair with his hands, "_SHE KISSED YOU_?" Ichigo sat his head up on his couch's arm rest, "Well, not kiss _kiss_… she kissed my owie." Renji laughed on the other end, "Owie? What are we, in the fourth grade? It doesn't matter where she kissed you, _she kissed you_! That has to mean _something_ to her and it means getting _laid_ for you!"

Ichigo smiled and shook his head against the couch, "She's not like that. She likes taking things slow. And plus… I think she's hiding something from me. If she wanted me to chase her, she wouldn't have met me this morning. Not so easily anyways." Renji was silent for a moment, "What do you think it is?"

Ichigo stared blankly at the wall in front of him, "I… I don't know. I just get this feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I'm near her. Not like she's malevolent or anything but that I feel like there might be some serious consequences if I pull through with this."

Renji replied, "Just shake it off, it's probably nothing." Ichigo's eyes stayed on the wall, "Yeah… probably."

* * *

_A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry I didn't upload this sooner, I had some family emergencies to attend to. Anyways, Thank you for being so supportive and I hope you enjoyed! _


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

"Good morning! I made some coffee if you'd like some, Rukia." Momo said as Rukia's drowsy form came into sight. She reached her hands up high above her head to stretch, "Aw, that's sweet, Momo. But I think I'll pass." Momo put away the coffee creamer into the fridge after using it.

"It's because you're meeting that guy again, aren't you?" Rukia gulped down a glass of water that Momo had on the counter, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Momo smiled and took a quick sip of her coffee.

"You haven't told me anything other than he was just _some guy_ you met at a café. Which is really weird because we have a friend at school that had the same thing happen to him—but he met a girl, not a guy." She corrected, leaning against the kitchen counter, Rukia ignoring the last thing she said.

"That's not true! I told you that he's nice and funny, he has this amazing smile…" Rukia smiled at the mental picture of Ichigo's silly grin. "Rukia… You're falling for him." Rukia let out a short laugh, "_No_ I am _not_." Momo's eyebrows shot up.

"Remember, I was there when you fell for Grimmjow. And that was just a bad boy crush. This feels a lot different." Rukia sighed and sat on the couch, Momo following her, "Rukia, I've known you forever. I was here every time you went to see Grimmjow. He has _wasted_ so much of your life!"

Rukia sighed again and tried canceling her voice out but she knew she needed to listen to this. "Whenever you come home from seeing him and I ask you how your time was, your mood immediately drops and you never want to talk about it."

Rukia looked over at her, smiling sadly, "But when you talk about this 'guy' that you've met, you suddenly have all the strength in the world to accomplish whatever you want!" Momo placed a hand on Rukia's, "Grimmjow is unfaithful to you… His eyes are so uncontrollable! Rukia, he _will not_ change."

Rukia always hated hearing things like this. She put so much hope into this relationship and didn't want it to go to waste. "Isn't it normal though, Momo? Isn't it normal for guys to want a peak every now and then? I'm just crazy for thinking that if someone loves you, their attraction for other people immediately vanishes! Am I the only one who believes in that?"

Momo squeezed Rukia's hand, "No… You're not. I'm right there with you. It is normal to think someone is attractive but not be attracted _to them_. Every relationship functions a different way, Rukia. Some girls are fine with it and some aren't. There is no right or wrong answer. But for you… you want him to be faithful. So, that right there is the right answer for _you_."

Rukia squeezed Momo's hand back, looking into her friends eyes, "I think I'm falling for this guy… and I'm scared." Momo nodded and hugged her, "I know, Rukia, I know… but things will fall into place if you just let your heart decide what's best for you…"

Momo pulled away and looked into Rukia's eyes, "But remember, this is _your_ life. You don't have to live by the world's rules. If you want someone faithful, get your ass up and go find someone that will give that to you. If you keep living as a follower, you will never find happiness."

Momo's advice for Rukia was so clear to her at the moment, yet she couldn't shake off this bad feeling she was having.

_..!.._

"Morning, Ichigo!" Ichigo pulled some money out of his wallet and handed it to Harunobu. "I'll have my usual as well as the Midget's. Oh, and I'll have one cinnamon roll." Harnobu nodded, "Coming right up!" Ichigo noticed that Rukia wasn't in the book store yet the moment he walked through the café door.

When he peaked over, she wasn't in his seat or anywhere else. He decided to return the favor and buy her coffee that day. He also had a small surprise for her. Just as he grabbed the coffee and bag with the cinnamon roll in it, Rukia came in. She always seized to amaze him, no matter what the hell she was wearing.

Ichigo nearly dropped both of the drinks he was holding as he first laid eyes on her. She was in a midnight blue pencil skirt with a sleeveless, v-necked lacy white top, showing off every curve in her body.

She looked up at him and walked over, looking at the coffee cups in his hands, his facial expression didn't budge as he handed hers as well as the cinnamon roll and she gladly accepted."You're drooling, Carrot top." Ichigo's hand came up to his lips, seeing if it were true, 'Dammit…' he thought as he wiped it away.

Rukia chuckled and turned towards the library but Ichigo's gentle hand stopped her. "Hey, hey. I want to take you somewhere." Rukia's left eyebrow stood up, "You trust me, don't you?" Ichigo asked her, giving her his signature grin. "I suppose so…" Ichigo opened the door for Rukia, following behind her.

They walked side by side down the street, "Where are we going?" Ichigo grabbed her hand and looked down both ways before crossing the street with her, "You'll see. It's not too far from here." Rukia blushed when she noticed that he never let her hand go.

She didn't want to say anything about it… she didn't want to admit that she liked it. His hands were so soft but rough at the same time and were twice as big as hers, its warmth covering most of her hand. Grimmjow's hands were rough and he always seemed to get his way out of holding her hand.

She never knew why, maybe it was a commitment issue type thing. His hand intertwined with hers as they crossed another street. He led them to a huge courtyard in front of a business building, a huge flock of pigeons cramped all together. Ichigo handed her his drink to hold and walked backwards towards the birds.

"You know, you're kind of a tight ass sometimes." Rukia had the sudden urge to dumb his coffee on top of his head, "Excuse me?" Ichigo laughed at her expression, "You need to have some fun every once and awhile! Watch me." Ichigo turned towards the birds and readied himself to run.

Ichigo took off in a sprint and ran through them, the birds frightened and flying closely by. Rukia laughed as he did this, enjoying the sight of him attempting to teach her how to 'let loose'. He came over and stole the cups from her, ushering her on. "Come on, you can do it."

Rukia looked at him like he was insane, "Are you kidding me? I'm not four years old." Ichigo laughed in disagreement, "You said you thought you had plenty in common with kids, why not incorporate this into that?" Ichigo nudged her with his arm, "They won't bite, I promise."

He was right; she never really did anything adventures for fun. The most she had done was pressured events that Grimmjow forced her to partake in. Suddenly, a horrible memory slipped through her mind.

_It was the fifth time Rukia had visited Grimmjow. They had just graduated High School and she decided to spend a little more of her summer there because she knew they'd both be busy with college. One night, Grimmjow had pressured Rukia into coming with him to a house party that was being thrown at one of his 'friends' houses. _

_She had never been to a house party given the fact that she was so modest with her life. Toshiro and Momo decided to go just to make sure Grimmjow didn't get himself into any sticky situations. Once they walked through the door, Rukia almost vomited from the horrible smell that made its way up her nostrils. _

_Grimmjow was immediately greeted by so many people. Obviously he was a pretty big deal at his school. Rukia's eyes found Momo as soon as Grimmjow told Rukia he needed to do something with his buddies really quick. She didn't mind, she felt safer with Momo and Toshiro at her side. _

_She had to admit, she wasn't really into these kinds of 'events'. She was sitting on the couch with Momo and Toshiro, talking about just about anything. There were people cramped in everywhere. She saw people making out on the floor, against the wall, on the stairs, etc. _

_She was almost hit three times in the head with an empty soda can, things were being thrown back and forth, the music was killing her ears, but she knew she was safe. She had the sudden urge to use the restroom so she got up out of her seat and climbed the stairs, walking around the couple that was devouring each other. _

_She gave a disgusted look and continued up the stairs. There were 6 rooms, three rooms on each side. She opened every single one except the last two on each side of her. She shrugged and chose one, opening to find Grimmjow and guy friends in a smoky room, laughing their asses off. Rukia tilted her head when she saw him._

_ "Grimm, what are you doing?" Grimmjow kept laughing as he told her to come in. Grimmjow was sitting at a desk while 3 of his friends were sitting on a king sized bed. It appeared to be the master bedroom of the home. Grimmjow grabbed her and sat her on his lap, "Who is this? She's a cutie…" _

_One of his friends said, looking as if he was undressing her with his eyes. Grimmjow looked over at her, a huge grin on his face, "Yes she is. She hasn't given me the opportunity to show her how cute she really is…" His fingers slid up and down her arm gently, breathing against her face._

_"Maybe we could all show her… Don't worry, darling, we'll take good care of you…" Another friend said, gently grabbing her from Grimmjow's lap and putting her on his. Rukia's body felt numb and worthless. She felt like she couldn't move or speak. Her head began to feel dizzy to a point where she didn't seem to process anything clearly. _

_The stranger began to kiss her neck, another one touching one of her breasts. Grimmjow sat there, bringing a cigarette up to his mouth with that wide grin still intact onto his face. The hand on her breast lifted her shirt off, taking her bra off as well. Grimmjow's eyes became hungry, looking at her as if he were a lion and she a lamb. _

_Suddenly two hands gripped her breasts, squeezing them painfully hard. She had no idea who's they were, she just knew that she was about to be raped. Grimmjow ushered them off of her as he pushed her down onto the bed, one of his hands sliding up her leg and under her skirt. _

_His fingers softly made their way under her panties and that's when she snapped. Rukia screamed for help as loud as she could, Grimmjow covering her mouth roughly as he continued to rub her. The door busted open, Toshiro pushing Grimmjow off of Rukia and onto the floor. _

_He gave the rest of his friends the most terrifying look imaginable, they scattered out the door quickly. Toshiro clipped Rukia's bra back on, telling her that she was okay as she hyperventilated and pulled her shirt over her head and told her to stay there. He stood above Grimmjow's fallen figure. _

_"I expected more from you." Toshiro said with great disappointment, grabbing Rukia to leave the home and take her somewhere safe._

Never again would she let Grimmjow drag her into something so horrible. Something she would never forget and feared every day of her life. Rukia slipped her heels off, looking at Ichigo like she really didn't want to. He placed the cups and the bag down.

He took one look at that face and picked her up bridal style, receiving a squeal and a "What are you doing?!" Ichigo ignored her and ran as fast as he could through the small birds, Rukia laughed loudly, screaming at the same time.

Ichigo continued to run around with Rukia in his arms, acting as if he would throw her into a tall fountain as she hit his chest and told him he better not think about it. Ichigo spun her around, her head falling back as she laughed cheerfully. Ichigo brought them back to their things and set her down.

"See? Wasn't that fun?" Rukia nodded and took her drink back, "I guess you were right." Ichigo was shocked; he put a hand to his ear and beckoned her to repeat, "I'm sorry, what was that?" Rukia rolled her eyes, "You were right."

Ichigo nodded and laughed, grabbing her hand to lead her to a bench once she put her shoes back on. "Haven't you ever done anything like that? You know, like when you were a kid?" Rukia looked down at their hands that were still intertwined, "Things like what?" Ichigo sat back and continued.

"Like puddle jumping, rolling down a huge hill, running away from the water at the beach, running through some pigeons…" He smiled at her, waiting for a response, "I can't say that I have done any of that. I wasn't very social growing up and had no siblings. My parents were very organized and strict; all they cared about teaching me was how to support myself in life and how to be proper."

Ichigo set down his coffee after gulping it all down, "See, I wasn't raised that way. I was alone until my mother had my two sisters. She once told me that I was their big brother so I was partially responsible for them having fun. So, we did. We did absolutely everything together and I made sure that they were nothing but happy."

A soft sigh came out from Rukia's lips as she looked up at him, "I wish I could meet them…" Ichigo's smile faded as he looked back at her, "Well… When will you be back here…? I'll wait everyday for you if I have to." Rukia's heart stopped from those words, "I don't… know if I should tell you that…" Ichigo looked at her with confusion.

"Why not…? Why are you keeping things from me…? I'm not angry with you... I just want to know…" Rukia felt like she didn't have the courage to tell him. "I am just in sticky situation… where I have to choose between something that I've known forever that used to bring me happiness or to start something new and unpredictable…"

Ichigo now knew officially that something was indeed wrong. He was trying to figure out what kind of scenario she was trying to draw for him. 'It could be anything…' Ichigo released himself from his thinking and turned to Rukia, "Am I in the way…?" Rukia looked at him and smiled sadly.

"Can we… not talk about this…? It's kind of been wearing me down for the last couple of days…" Ichigo nodded, "Of course! I would never pressure you to do anything." She smiled at the thought of that. It was nice to hear from at least someone. Ichigo gathered his things and laid his hand out in front of her.

She looked at it and gently placed her hand in his. Ichigo and Rukia made their way back to the café, their hands never leaving each others. On the way there, Ichigo told another funny story of his family as she ate her cinnamon roll, "So, can I take you out for lunch or dinner today?"Ichigo asked her, stopping in front of the crosswalk.

"Actually, I'm meeting someone for lunch and then seeing my brother for dinner. It's very likely that he'll cancel any one of these days that I'm here, though." Ichigo wondered what her brother was like. He seemed to be very uptight like her. "So, if something changes, I'll tell you in the morning."

Ichigo crossed the street with her and straight to his car, "Well, if you and I exchange _numbers_, you could call me." Ichigo unlocked his car and got into it, rolling down his window. He beckoned her to kneel down in front of him; she smiled and did as he said.

Ichigo grabbed the side of her face and pulled her closer; she could feel his warm breath against her lips. He took his thumb and cleaned off some frosting that was smudged across the edge of her lip. Their eyes locked for awhile and he finally pulled away.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Rukia nodded and backed away from his car, "I promise." Ichigo then drove off to class. This time, Rukia was the one left with a huge love struck grin across her face.

_..!.._

7 hours had passed since Ichigo and Rukia went their separate ways. Rukia and Grimm were now at a local diner. They sat across each other in a small booth, Rukia looking over her menu. The restaurant wasn't too busy, it had a 50's feel to it, the waitresses wearing roller skates and revealing skirts.

Rukia didn't decide on this place and she knew it wasn't hard to guess why Grimmjow chose it. Rukia's mind was so out of control, she couldn't stop thinking about the time she spent that morning with Ichigo. She had so much crap in her life that she tried to figure out all at once, it drove her insane.

Ichigo taking that leap and showing her what it's like to have that sense of relief was so alluring to her. She wanted that adrenaline back so much, that excitement and curiosity, that… happiness. Rukia looked up from her menu when their waitress came by.

They both ordered their food, Rukia noticing Grimmjow turning his head to look at their waitress leave. He turned back to Rukia and slouched against his seat, "She was pretty nice." Rukia wasn't in a good mood to think about how unhappy she was with this asshole, "You mean pretty good looking?"

Grimmjow laughed nervously, "No, babe! I only have eyes for you." Rukia laughed loudly, making heads turn, "Really. Then why do I always catch you staring at other women?" Grimmjow's hands started to sweat, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Rukia stood up to leave, turning to him before she left, "What does she have that I don't? Huh, Grimmjow? Is it her perfectly shaped ass? Is it her slim legs that turn you on? What is it?!" Grimmjow shrugged, smiling with fear, "Rukia, you are perfect. I don't need to look at anyone else."

Rukia had enough, "I am cancelling our dinner tomorrow. I need to be alone for a bit." Grimmjow yelled after her, "Rukia!" She was almost out the door when she turned around, noticing their waitress bringing their drinks. She also noticed Grimmjow flirting with her.

She stomped her way back to their table and grabbed her water, pouring it down on top of his head, "You're a filthy, lying, sonofabitch, Grimmjow." Grimmjow's mouth was opened in surprise, "You need to realize what you're doing is _killing_ me." She turned and left, feeling satisfied.

_..!.._

Meanwhile, the others were at the university coffee shop for lunch. Ishida was helping Orihime study for one of her classes, Toshiro had an arm around Momo while speaking with her and Ichigo, Renji and Chad were talking about Rukia. "I have three days until she leaves on Sunday."

Renji crumbled up his used up napkin and tossed it onto his plate, "That isn't much time. You need to build up a moment if you're going to get any answers out of her." Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, sighing afterwards. "I've already tried; she instantly said that she didn't want to talk about it."

Renji leaned in, "That's why you take her somewhere special and have a great time with her. That way, she'll soften up a bit and confess whatever she's hiding from you." Momo's attention turned away from Toshiro's to answer her phone, "Hello?"

Everyone turned towards her, "Rukia?! What's wrong?! Why are you crying?!" Momo sat there and stared at one place the entire time, "Yes, of course! I'll be there in about 15 minutes." She hung up and looked at everyone, "I'm sorry, Rukia isn't feeling well. I have to go check on her." She looked at Renji before taking off, "Hey, Renji, can you take notes for me? I'll just be a little late."

Renji nodded, "Yeah will do." She thanked him and left, Toshiro following behind her. Renji sighed and pushed his head back. "I wonder what he did this time." Ishida turned to Renji, "What he always does." He turned back to Orihime, pointing at something in her book.

"Jesus Christ, he only has three more days with her. He can't just keep his dick in his pants for one god damn second?" Ichigo cancelled everyone's voice out and thought about what Renji said, thinking of scenarios of every option he had.

_..!.._

Momo came running into her apartment as Toshiro stayed in the car, waiting. She saw Rukia lying on the couch, bawling her eyes out. She quickly sat next to Rukia's lying form and started comforting her. "Momo… I can't do this anymore… This is so unsatisfying and exhausting."

Momo comforted her with a soothing tone, rubbing her back, "I know, Rukia, I know." Rukia had nobody else to talk to about this with. It was something that she was so ashamed and hurt about, nobody could understand but Momo. "You'll get through this, Rukia. Just like you always do."

Rukia sat up and wiped her tears away, "Is that all our relationship will be? Just me having to deal with all the shit he puts me through? I can't live my life like this. I can't waste any more time with someone who has absolutely no respect for my needs and wants."

Momo stood up to get Rukia a glass of water, "Maybe you need to just let this go, then." She placed the glass into Rukia's hands, "But how can you stop something that you are so adapted to already?" Momo sat back down next to her, "Rukia, you aren't afraid of losing Grimmjow. You are afraid of losing yourself. And that will never happen."

Rukia stared at her glass, "I don't know who I am around Grimm… but with the guy I met at the café downtown… he makes me so happy… he makes me light up with happiness. He never pressures me to do anything even though it is so unfair because it seems like I'm leading him on… He just wants to know more about me. He is so interested in me and what I want to accomplish."

Momo smiled at her confused friend, listening closely, "He sounds like an amazing guy, Rukia…" Rukia smiled and looked at her, "He is! He is so funny and kind… he's so considerate and entertaining. He has these amazing honey brown eyes and this crazy but attractive orange hair... and his smile… oh god, Momo, _his smile_…"

Momo suddenly was shocked as she pieced all the puzzles together, 'Oh my god… it's Ichigo… She's talking about _Ichigo_!' Momo thought out of fear. This would be another thing she would have to keep away from Rukia…

"I haven't given him my name yet… I'm scared if I left Grimmjow and decided to be with this guy that… Grimm would find out and hurt him. I mean, I think he might go to the same school as you guys. And if I wanted to be with him, I'd still have to move here. So, Grimmjow would find out somehow… and you know how he can get when he's angry…"

Momo had no idea what to do. She was so surprised still that she lost focus of what Rukia was saying. "Rukia, just give yourself some time to think about it. Don't pressure yourself to do a single thing that you would regret." Rukia nodded in agreement. 'I will make this work somehow… whatever way I choose, things will fall together…'

_..!.._

Later on that evening, Rukia sat at the other end of her brother's table, having dinner with him. Even though Rukia and Byakuya didn't have the same interests in careers, they did agree on most opinionated things. Despite Byakuya's cover, he was a lot more social than Rukia.

He was a very wealthy, successful and popular man after all. But when it came to her brother and herself, they could talk all night long. Rukia didn't know anything personal about her sisters relationship with him… all she knew was that their love was unconditional and honest.

Silence filled the room for a moment before Rukia spoke up, "Brother, I know this is a bit personal but… were you ever attracted to anyone else when you were with my sister? And I'm talking about anywhere from the beginning to end." Her brother looked at her straight into the eyes; she admitted that it was a bit intimidating.

"Hisana was made up of nothing but beauty and purity. She was of kind nature and always thought of other's before herself. Her presence was filled with radiance. She brought hope and peace to anyone she looked upon. She was the reason I fought everyday to make her mine. Why would I bring myself to even think about another woman, Rukia? What kind of fool would I be to not realize what I had before my very own eyes?"

Rukia bit her lip as his words ran through her mind. "I am sorry, my brother. I did not mean to offend you in anyway…" Her brother kept his calm presence, "You desire what I had with Hasana, Rukia."

Rukia nodded and answered with a simple yes. "What you desire is not in your grasp. You must let go and reach for what you hope to obtain." Before Rukia had left, her brother had let her know that he had to cancel for their next visit, for something had come up.

She felt as if her day turned out to be pretty okay, given the fact that she would soon have an entire day with Ichigo. Little did she know that her grasp on happiness was right in front of her nose.

* * *

_A/N: Hi everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed myself and my story! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and i'll update soon! :)_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Ichigo was so excited to wake up that morning. He couldn't wait to hear if she had any available time for him that day. He had thought so much of what they could do, the places they would go and the things they'd do. Ichigo wasn't really one for dates; he never met anyone as special as Rukia.

Hell, Ichigo was even ready to introduce her to his family. And his family is insane and embarrassing beyond belief. He knew she would have loved his mother. He knew his mother would approve so greatly of her. Rukia brought out the best in him. He was generally a happy person, he didn't like thinking of the past and living in the past.

What had happened to his mother was over and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. But before Rukia had entered his life, he thought it was meaningless. You go to school for almost your entire life, find some boring job that pays well and survive until you die.

He never went too deep into thought about it and never realized what could happen to change that point of view. To Ichigo, loving your family is a must. And you can't help it. But with falling in love, you can choose to be in love with that person.

Ichigo was scared to love. Losing his mother was horrible for him and he never wanted to feel such pain ever again in his life. But, death is a part of life. And even though she didn't die the way he wanted, it still happened.

Ichigo was confused as to why he chose Rukia. I mean, she had every quality he could ever ask for and more. But, she lived so far away and still hasn't given him her information. Ichigo didn't give a crap about distance.

Sure, sex is a part of a relationship but just the solid fact that you have to wait and trust this person makes the relationship so much better. You really get to know a person that way. He just hoped he would be able to shake something out of her tonight.

Ichigo had gotten there before Rukia, already bought her coffee. To his surprise, Ichigo didn't sit in his chair. Not in a million years did he think he'd let some cute stranger sit in his chair without throwing a fit. It was quiet as usual; Ichigo sat there and read his book as he took frequent drinks of his coffee.

"You know, I could make millions off of this reality love story that you have going, my dear." Ichigo looked up from his book, "Hey, lady, I better get some of that money. I want 60% and a full year of free coffee." Ayame laughed, shaking her head, "Oh my son that is some joke. No, I want 70% and 3 grandchildren."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows, "50% and 2 grandchildren, not going any higher." Ichigo offered, Ayame sighed and debated for a minute. "You really know how to take advantage of an old woman like me, Ichigo." Ichigo sat up in his chair.

"Advantage? I just agreed to give you some grandchildren! And not even one, _two_! The advantage is your old wrinkly palm, Grandma." Ayame smiled and continued to read her book, turning her head to Ichigo for a second, "It is, isn't it?" She smiled cheerfully and successfully.

Rukia walked into the café, the little bell going off above the door. Ichigo's face lit up it seems a million times more than before. She was in some black skinny jeans with a navy button up tunic, her hair up in a clip. She smiled at Ayame as she walked through the door.

"Ayame, it's great to see you!" Ayame smiled with joy, "Oh my dear, you look so beautiful today! Don't _you_ think so?" Ayame asked him, Ichigo inwardly cussed the old woman out. He blushed and nodded shyly.

Rukia sat down next to him and thanked him for the coffee. He sat there and waited impatiently for her to tell him anything about spending time with him. Ichigo was pretty lucky that day because she brought it straight up, "I have the entire day off today, would you like to do something?" She said with a huge smile.

Ichigo excused himself for a second, walking outside to make a phone call, "Hey, Chad. Could you do me a favor and take notes for me? I'll be gone all today. Yeah, thanks!" Ichigo hung up and punched his fist in the air. After his little commotion he walked back inside and sat down next to her, "Yeah, I guess I could make room for you." He said sarcastically. Rukia smiled, "Great."

_..!.._

Ichigo asked Rukia if she'd like to look downtown at all the local stores, of course she agreed. It was such a beautiful place. The buildings were a mix of Italian and San Francisco, the people kind and social. Nowadays, you don't really receive 'hellos' and 'good mornings' when you're just walking down the street, but it was different here. Everyone was so friendly and cheerful.

Rukia couldn't believe she had never been down here. Ichigo and Rukia visited every single shop, even the ones that didn't really interest them. He wanted her to see the history of the place and she enjoyed it.

Rukia couldn't remember the last time she went on a normal date, 'Wait… this_ isn't_ a date, Rukia…' She thought to herself, noticing that her stomach started growling. It was now 3:30PM and she hadn't noticed how hungry she was until she noticed a tea menu standing outside a tea tavern.

Ichigo looked over at her and chucked, "Come on, let's go in." Rukia followed him in and they got seated instantly. It was such a cozy place, given the fact that it was in an old Victorian home. There were very few people there and the ones that were there, looked as if they'd been here a million times.

Rukia's brother was very formal once again; he loved having tea and had forced Rukia to take classes of manners and formality when she was young. For some reason, she was very nervous, though. Ichigo looked at the menu confusingly.

"What is all this crap? Don't they have food?" Rukia laughed and pointed at something on his menu, "There's the Afternoon Tea that comes with tea and food. And trust me, even though its things like little sandwiches, pies and treats, it will fill you up quickly." Ichigo groaned, wanting a_ real_ meal.

He shrugged it off, though. He wanted to do whatever Rukia wanted that day. Their waitress had come over to take their orders, waiting patiently when she asked what they would like. Rukia spoke up, "We're going to have the Afternoon tea, please. I will have the cherry almond and vanilla."

She turned to Ichigo, his face still confused, "Uh... I'll just have the Earl Grey tea. Could we get extra sandwiches too?" Ichigo asked kindly, receiving a stomp on his foot from Rukia. He winced and looked at her with confusion, mouthing "What?! I'm hungry!"

She smiled and the woman left, leaving them alone again. Ichigo looked at a small container with a top on it. He took the top off, revealing sugar cubes inside. He took one and popped it into his mouth, "Carrot Top! You will have plenty of sugar just in a second!"

Ichigo's smile was filled with guilt and pleasure. The woman came back with their tea pots, reaching across the table to set them down. Just as she leaned over to place Ichigo's, her cleavage was visible in front of his eyes. Ichigo politely looked up until she left. Rukia couldn't believe it. This guy was in his early 20's and _single_.

Yet, he still looked away. Rukia's mind was filled with questions as they drank their tea. She noticed Ichigo pulling the sugar cube lid off, taking the mini tongs and plopping 4 in. He mixed his tea and took a sip. He shook his head and put in 3 more, taking a sip again.

He smiled victoriously and looked to Rukia, "So, do you like it?" Ichigo asked her. Rukia nodded, snapping from the debating in her head. Suddenly, 3 tiers of sweets and goodies lay in front of Ichigo's eyes, including the extra sandwiches on a separate plate. He immediately dug in, Rukia politely and quietly eating.

"When exactly do you leave, Midget?" Ichigo asked, wiping the edges of his lips with his napkin. "I leave early in the morning. About 5AM, why do you ask?" Ichigo poured some more tea into his teacup, "Will I be able to say goodbye to you?" Rukia poked at her scone with her fingers, "I don't know… I don't think I'll have enough time to drop by for coffee…"

He swallowed another mini pie, shrugging, "I'll meet you at the airport, then. There's a huge butterfly statue where you check your bags in, I'll meet you there." Rukia didn't like the thought of that. She knew she wouldn't be able to contain her emotions for Ichigo if they were to say goodbye. She also didn't want to let him down if she decided to check in early. 'I guess I'll just decide when I get there…'

The sky grew darker as they walked across a bridge to get to the next place Ichigo was taking them. Rukia looked over at the beautiful river, the moon reflecting in it. Ichigo noticed she stopped walking and stood next to her. She smiled and shivered; Ichigo took his jacket off and wrapped it over her.

"Thank you…" Ichigo smiled and nodded, "No problem…" Rukia looked over at Ichigo, "Hey, Carrot top… What happened to your mother…? You never mentioned her…" Ichigo's face hardened, "I'm… I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring up something so personal…"

Ichigo shook his head and looked down at the water, "No, It's okay. My mother was shot protecting me. We were walking along the Karasu River after going to the supermarket and these men came by to mug us. I was a toughy back then… I stood in front of my mother and one of them was about to shoot directly at me and my mother pushed me out of the way."

Rukia stood there in shock. She never expected something so bad to happen to such a good person. Ichigo always seemed happy… 'Maybe he really isn't…' Rukia was surprised when she hugged him tightly. Ichigo wrapped his arms around her as well, a tear escaping his eye.

Rukia backed up to see his face, never releasing her embrace. She kissed his tear away and smiled up at him, "I don't want you to see me like this…" Ichigo said, looking sadly down at her, "What's wrong with being emotional every now and then…? You are human, aren't you?"

Ichigo chuckled, "Yeah, sometimes it doesn't feel like it." Rukia smiled sadly and kissed his jaw. Ichigo looked back down into her eyes. Whenever he looked at her, even now, he felt happiness. He felt a sense of hope. He never felt this way before… at least, not ever since his mom had passed.

"I lost my parents too… My mother and father were on their way to a huge promotion party for my father's business and a drunken truck driver crashed into their car…" Ichigo kissed her tear away this time as well as kissing her forehead. Rukia shoved her face against his chest and cried quietly, getting his shirt wet.

She talked through sobs, "I begged them to stay home that night… I feel like I wasn't enough—like I should have made a bigger scene… Maybe then, they would be alive…" Ichigo pulled her back, looking at her, his face serious, "Don't ever blame yourself for your parent's death. They loved you with everything of them…"

Rukia smiled sadly, "I would take your own advice if I were you, Carrot top…" Ichigo thought for a moment and stared hard into her eyes. "I guess we're both pretty broken, huh?" She said, smiling widely and sadly, tears dreaming down her face.

He looked into her eyes and pulled some of her hair out of her face, holding it against the side of her head with his fingers, "No, we're just two pieces that need to find our other… when we know that all this time, we were looking for each other…"

Rukia's breath caught in her throat when she realized that she was definitely falling in love with this man. Ichigo moved closer to her, inches away from her face. Rukia didn't care, she wanted to be happy, she wanted faithfulness and unconditional love… she wanted Ichigo.

Rukia moved her head closer as well; happy she didn't have to lift herself up too much to reach his lips. Ichigo crashed his lips against hers, kissing her passionately. Rukia's arms slowly connected around his neck, kissing him deeper.

Rukia felt no guilt running through her; she knew this is where she was meant to be, right here, right now, with Ichigo. She had never felt so sure in her life.

_..!.._

Rukia and Ichigo held hands as they continued to walk. Whenever they looked at each other, not a second would pass by before they turned away shyly. "We're here!" Ichigo said happily. Rukia stood there in awe. She noticed a sign that read, "The Sky Lantern Festival" She had never been to one and was pretty excited.

Ichigo came up to a man selling the lanterns, "One regular lantern please!" The man shook his head, "We're out of regular lanterns, sir. The only ones we have are the heart lanterns." Ichigo laughed nervously and accepted the offer, Ichigo grabbing their bucket of water as Rukia held the rest.

They chose a good spot in the middle of everyone and began to set up. Ichigo expanded the heart lantern and set it up as well as setting the fire. Ichigo grabbed her hand to show her how to hold it on the other side.

Within seconds, the lantern expanded. They both smiled at each other, the light glowing on each other's skin. "Alright… make a wish and let me know when you're done." Ichigo said to her as she closed her eyes. She opened them and smiled, "I'm ready…" Ichigo nodded, "Alright, one… two… three!"

They let the lantern go and looked up, watching it travel higher and higher towards the sky. Ichigo wrapped his arm around her and smiled, watching the lights scatter and disappear.

_..!.._

Ichigo shoved Rukia against the wall and hoisted her up with his hands as soon as he closed his front door. Their lips crashed against each other roughly, never breaking for air. Ichigo's hands started moving up and down her sides, gently rubbing them.

Rukia's hands found their way to his hair, running her fingers through them as she kissed him deeper. Ichigo picked her up and led her to the couch, her legs still wrapped around him as he climbed on top of her, their lips moving against one another's over and over again.

Ichigo released his lips from hers and kissed both of her cheeks, her chin, her eyelids, her forehead and lips again. She giggled lightly as he did this. He moved his lips over to her neck, softly kissing up and down it. Ichigo's home phone started to ring; they both ignored it as Rukia continued to moan as Ichigo nibbled her ear gently.

They began to rub against each other, wanting more and more. The ringing had vanished and went straight to voice mail, Renji on the other side, "Aye, Ichigo! Where the hell were you today? Chad just told us you were going to be gone the entire day! What the hell man? Bros before hoes, ever heard that one?! By the way, Grimmjow is pissed as well. And we all know that aint good."

He hung up and Rukia's body shot up, surprising Ichigo, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry if I did… I guess we were getting a little carried away." Rukia started panting quickly, her heart beating out of her chest, 'Ichigo… Ichigo, Ichigo, Ichigo… That's… that's Grimmjow's best friend… oh no, oh no, oh no….!'

Ichigo looked over at her, confused, "What's wrong, Midget…?" She looked over at him with wide eyes still, "I need... I need to go home… Please… please take me back to my car…" Ichigo nodded and immediately grabbed his keys and coat, opening the door for her.

She sat there still, "You're… going to let me go…? Really…?" She sounded relieved, "Yes, of course! Why wouldn't I? If you need to go, I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy." She slowly made her way out the door.

As soon as they got into the car, they buckled up and took off. Rukia looked over at Ichigo, trying to see any hint of him being angry with her. "Aren't you curious why I need to leave?" Ichigo looked over at her for a second and back at the road, smiling softly.

"Well, yeah, of course. But it isn't any of my business at the moment and I would never pressure you to tell me." Rukia looked at him sadly, "I'm so sorry… Ichigo…" Ichigo nodded, "It's alright… And sorry about you knowing my name, I know you didn't want to know it at all."

He parked next to her car and opened the passenger door. Rukia stepped out, the cold air hit against her, making her shiver. Ichigo put his jacket on her once again and led her to her car. They stopped and looked at each other, Ichigo smiled happily. "Why are you taking this so well…?" Rukia asked him, curious as hell.

"I just found the love of my life. I don't mind having to wait and go through bumps in the road with you." Rukia's body shook in fear of the future. Ichigo wrapped an arm around her and held her close. They stood there for what it seemed like forever until Rukia looked up at him. "I-Ichigo…?"

He looked down at her and kissed her nose. "Yes…?" Rukia sighed and looked into his eyes, "I… I… I'm… I'm…" Ichigo stared in confusion, "You're…?" She let out a quick breath, "I am Grimmjow's girlfriend… I'm Rukia." Ichigo's thoughts vanished and stood there in completely and utter shock.

Rukia pushed her head against his chest and started sobbing horribly. Ichigo just stood there and stared straight ahead of him. He was right. Something felt wrong the entire time. She never told him her name because she wanted him to forget her. Like not knowing her name would do that anyways.

But she knew that what Grimmjow was doing to her was cheating. She couldn't bear the thought of doing the same to him. She would have gone against every single thing she believed in. But this was different. Rukia had found love.

Love that would never vanish, love that would treat her with kindness, love that would protect her and cherish her. Rukia wanted this so bad, she wanted to be able to walk down the streets safely with her hand in Ichigo's, she wanted to have a faithful relationship, she wanted to run from the water at the beach, she wanted to roll down a tall hill, she wanted to jump through puddles- all with him.

She had a lot to think about… "We can do this, Rukia." He looked at her again, determination in his eyes, "We can do this." She looked up at him as well, his hands coming to her face to wipe away her tears. "We can…? How…?"

Ichigo placed his hands on her shoulders, "We just need time. From what I can remember, you are moving here next year. Give yourself some time away from him; distance yourself so he is forced to do the same. So, when the break up is done, he won't be as angry."

Rukia looked around, scared, "But you're his best friend… You guys are supposed to do that to each other." Ichigo shook his head, "Rukia, if Grimmjow really did love you, he would let you be happy. He knows more than anyone else that he's making you miserable. If Grimmjow needs anything, it's a break from a relationship that will never succeed."

Rukia pushed her forehead against his chest and sighed. The thing she was mostly afraid about was Grimmjow hurting Ichigo. She couldn't let that happen to him. 'Maybe Ichigo is right… no, he is right. We can do this.' She looked back at him and smiled, tears falling from her eyes.

He smiled back at her and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I love you, Ichigo…" Ichigo's stomach filled with butterflies, his heart beating quicker with each passing second, "I love you too, Rukia."

_..!.._

Ichigo and Rukia decided to stay in touch the last couple of days she was there. They exchanged numbers and he told her it was a must that she got a new phone. He told her he'd pay for it and everything but she refused to let him do something like that.

At least he got her to agree to a new one, though. Ichigo said goodnight to her before she left, giving her a long and passionate kiss and told her he loved her, and she returned it as well. He told her he'd call her as soon as she got to Momo's and went back to his place.

Rukia arrived back to Momo's; her thoughts were filled with good and bad ones. She opened the front door and greeted Toshiro and Momo who were sitting on the couch all cuddled up. Momo paused the movie and told her to sit down. "What's wrong? You look awfully confused."

Rukia laugh, "You could say that." Momo touched her arm, Toshiro looking at her with a worried expression. "Could you tell us what happened?" Rukia nodded her head and looked at Toshiro, "As long as you guys promise to keep it a secret, I will tell you."

They both swore and sat back patiently in silence. "The man that I fell in love with is Ichigo." Momo placed a hand on her heart and gasped, "Ichigo?!" Surprisingly, Toshiro's face was shocked as well, "It was odd that both of your stories matched so accurately into one another." Toshiro said in a calm tone, rubbing Momo's back.

"Rukia! You and Ichigo would go so cute together! Oh my GOD! I'm going to be the Maid of Honor, right? RIGHT?! Rukia, oh my, oh my, oh my! We have to go dress shopping! Who will be the flower girl?! Oh, maybe Yuzu!" Rukia cut her off before she could say another dreadful word, "Momo! We aren't getting married yet!"

Momo's squeal did it again, Rukia felt like she lost all her hearing. Momo looked at Toshiro, "She said _yet_!" Toshiro laughed and kissed her cheek. Toshiro looked at Rukia, "Rukia, you know that I'll be there to protect you if things get out of hand." Rukia smiled, "Thank you, Toshiro…"

After they talked for awhile, Rukia made her way to the guest room where she was staying. She got on her laptop and let it load up while she changed into her night clothes. She texted Ichigo her Skype username and he added her within seconds. She smiled and accepted, turning on her lamp.

She pressed the "Call with video" button and waited for him to answer. She smiled hugely as she saw him on the screen, waving at her with that gorgeous smile. Rukia smiled as well, "Hi!" They talked for hours about so many things. He could finally get to know her.

He wanted nothing more than to know everything about her at that moment. "Oh crap, it's 2 in the morning." Ichigo said, looking at Rukia after he checked the time. Rukia just smiled and nodded, "We should get some sleep… I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

Ichigo smiled at her with that dreamy face again, "I can't wait to see you either… But we need rest so we are aware of what's going on!" Rukia laughed, "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow… Ichigo." He replied, "Goodnight, Rukia… I love you."

Her cheeks were so painful from smiling so much, "I love you too, Ichigo." Rukia went to bed after putting her laptop away.

She cuddled into her covers and closed her eyes and all she could think about… was_ Ichigo_.

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the kind of laterish update! I hope you guys had a great week and i'll be updating soon! _


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Ichigo woke with a smile across his face. He had been thinking about Rukia all night long, dreaming about her and wondering what kind of life they would have together. He was trying to think of any time where Grimmjow got over protective over Rukia or even showed any sign of affection for her.

Hell, Grimmjow never got her any gifts. And that's the easy way out for men to make it so their girlfriends or wives forget about showing affection with words. Ichigo's smile grew as he thought about all the things he would buy her, everything he would surprise her with and just simply how well he would do as her partner.

He had never really been in a relationship before, not a real one at least. He would sleep around every now and then with someone he kind of liked… it wasn't really something he did very often, though. He never got anything out of it but sex and a sort of guilt.

Once Rukia and Ichigo's relationship grew, all he could think of was seeing her and knowing her more. Of course he thought about making love with her but not the lustful kind… more of the showing he loved her kind.

Ichigo tried playing the scenario of Grimmjow finding out over and over in his head. He didn't know if Grimmjow would kill him or just give up like Ichigo had hoped. Ichigo planned to talk to Rukia about how they would communicate throughout the entire year she would be gone before moving to where he is.

Rukia was already there when he came through the door. She was sitting there in white sundress with her hair in a pony tail. She looked u at him with a big grin and ran up to him to hug him. He grinned as well as he hugged her back, spinning her around.

Ayame watched in delighted silence, happy that she was right this whole time. They sat down next to each other; they both now had the "dumb look" on their faces. "So, you're getting a new phone today, paid by you of course, and a new laptop paid by me." Ichigo said, pointing at himself.

Rukia laughed in disbelief, "Uh, no. You're right though, I do need a new laptop. But if I'm going to get one; I'm going to buy it." Ichigo licked his lips and pulled out a bag being his chair, "Too late, already got one for you." Rukia gasped as he pulled out the laptop bag that had Chappy all over it, handing it to her.

"Ichigo, you didn't have to!" He laughed and nodded, "I kind of did. You are the most stubborn woman—_person_ I've ever met. And I want you to have the highest quality laptop so it'll make our Skype web chats a lot better." Rukia hugged it close to her chest and looked at him with appreciation.

She put it down next to her and got up to give him a big kiss. Ichigo smiled in the kiss, mumbling after, "Mmm... Maybe I should buy you more extremely expensive things more often… Hey, what if I bought you a house?" Rukia chuckled and winked at him, "I think you're a little too young to know what could happen."

Ichigo rose one of his eyebrows, "I'm a year older than you, Midget." She laughed and sat back down, "I'll get my phone while you're at school, I promise." Ichigo sat back in his chair, "You better. Oh, hey, I'm taking you to the airport, right?"

Rukia nodded, "Grimmjow hasn't asked me yet but I don't think he's willing to get up at 2 in the morning to drop me off like you'd want to." Ichigo sipped his coffee, "Well, I don't think anyone wants to get up that early. You have to really love someone if you're willing to put up with that."

They both smiled at each other, thinking of how hard it's going to be to say goodbye.

_..!.._

Grimmjow and Ichigo walked to the coffee shop together, Ichigo feeling nothing but being uncomfortable. He was afraid if he spoke on his own; that he would blurt something out that he didn't want to say. Ichigo just decided to stay quiet until Grimmjow decided to speak. But, he didn't.

Grimmjow was thinking of how much of an idiot he was the last time he saw Rukia. He should have kept his eyes on her the entire time. He knew better about not doing that around her and he knew he should not do that when she's gone as well.

Rukia called him that morning while they sat next to their friends, "Hey baby…" Grimmjow greeted Rukia on the phone. Ichigo's eyes shot up to listen more closely, "You don't want me to take you to the airport…?" Ichigo smiled a little, he knew she wanted him to take her.

There would be no point of Grimm doing so. "Really, 2 in the morning? Are you insane?" Grimmjow rolled his eyes when he heard Rukia complaining about how he never picks her up or takes her to the airport to say goodbye, "What?! You won't see me today just because I won't see you off at the airport at fucking 2 in the morning?"

Grimmjow sighed and hung up. "She hung up on me… Whatever, I'll find something else to do today." Ichigo's body heated up when those words escaped his lips. He couldn't believe Grimmjow would be such a shit partner to someone like Rukia. She did nothing but try to make him happy and this is what she gets—for 6 years straight.

'Not anymore, though…' Ichigo thought to himself in relief. He would make sure that no matter what happened; he'd be by her side at all times. He would pick her up from the airport even if he were shot in his leg. Ichigo would go above and beyond for Rukia even if it meant having to limp the entire way through it all. 'That's the least she deserves for making me happy again…'

_..!.._

Lunch time came around and Ichigo received a text message from Rukia to meet her at the first place they ate together, the pizza joint. Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow to tell him he had to leave to meet someone for lunch, "Have you gotten laid yet by this chick?" Ichigo laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Uh… almost."

Grimmjow laughed, his head rolling back, "You're in love with her, aren't you?" Ichigo just grinned and ran to his car, waving his hand in the air to show that he was leaving.

Rukia and Ichigo embraced as soon as they saw each other, kissing afterwards. "I won't be able to see you tonight, right?" Rukia nodded as she sat down at their table, "My brother and I are having our last dinner together." Ichigo fiddled with his napkin, "So… you haven't told me what you're going to do in 6 months."

Rukia looked over at him, "What do you mean?" Ichigo shrugged, "You visit every 6 months, right?" Rukia nodded, understanding what he was trying to ask. "I am not coming here in 6 months. It will be mid terms and I'll be tearing my hair out like crazy. Plus, I will have to start packing and planning by then."

Ichigo smiled and look at her, "So… can I visit you instead?" She smiled back, "Of course but… you will have midterms too." Ichigo sighed and sat back in his chair, thinking.

"How about this, I'll help you study for your midterms and you come back and visit me—at my house. You'll be here for Christmas and you'll get to meet my family like you've always wanted."

Rukia looked down at her hands in her lap, "I don't know… I don't want to intrude… And I hate sneaking around. Grimmjow already knows that I'm staying home… And I know he's leaving to visit his family for the winter but…"

Ichigo chuckled and kissed her nose, "But what? Momo already knows about all of this as well as Toshiro and none of the others even know what you look like. You'll be fine! I'll keep you safe… and you'll have an amazing time with my family and they will adore you."

Rukia bit her lip and thought about it for a little, "Come on, what's so bad about you? You're amazing… you're beautiful, smart, funny, kind—sometimes…" Rukia laughed and shoved at his arm, "My family invites anyone in and considers them family, no matter what they are like."

Rukia's eyes lit up when he started talking about his family again; she was so excited to have the opportunity to meet them and to see what they were all like. Plus, she could get some dirt on him. "Okay, I'll go." Rukia said, giving into his charming ways.

Ichigo laughed and pecked her on the lips, "You'll have a great time, I promise."

_..!.._

Ichigo woke up early the next morning, the clock ticking still after 1:30AM. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, getting up to change his clothes. Of course Ichigo didn't like getting up this early but… this was for the girl he loved. Butterflies formed his stomach as he thought about her.

He wondered how he would feel once she left to get on that plane back home. He shook his head and forgot about it, pulling on some dark washed jeans, a white t-shirt and his hooded black leather jacket. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door after getting fully ready.

He started his car and made his way to the car rental near the airport, nervously beating his hands against his steering wheel to the music he had playing. Rukia had turned her car and keys in as soon as Ichigo pulled into the parking lot.

She smiled to herself, the feeling of someone who loved her actually showing up on time was… new to say the least. Once Rukia and Grimmjow started getting more and more comfortable around one another, he thought it would be okay to be late every now and then.

He thought that just because he had her hooked good on him meant that he could get away with things. Boy was he wrong. It makes things a lot more sensitive and controlling that way. Grimmjow disrespecting their relationship as well as her just proved to her that he wasn't in it for the long run.

So Ichigo showing up on time even though it was the beginning of their relationship was nice to see again. She smiled and got into the car, kissing him as soon as she sat down. She loved that he was so shy, she could tell instantly when he was nervous and freaking out about how to act around her.

It's always so cute to see when you enter a new relationship. Rukia began wondering if they would end up like her and Grimmjow, things getting boring at what not. Its hard not to not get used to someone you love because it's natural. But, getting bored to a point where you treat each other like a burden isn't the right way.

The right way is being able to share a toothbrush without freaking out, sharing a spoon or even sharing a piece of food that the other already took a bite out of. It's getting comfortable like you would with a best friend. And that's another role that your partner must have, being your best friend.

Rukia continued to think as Ichigo tried getting her attention, finally being able to. "Oh, I'm sorry. I spaced out there for a second." Ichigo laughed got out to put her luggage into his trunk. He slammed it shut then got back into the driver's seat, "Alright, let's get you to the airport."

Ichigo parked into the guest parking lot, getting out and gathering her luggage. Rukia looked at the huge building and sighed, following beside Ichigo. 'Wow, what is wrong with me…?' Rukia thought as her throat started clenching like she was about to cry.

She couldn't focus on anything else all throughout checking her bags in and walking towards security with Ichigo. He lifted his wrist to check the time and smiled, "Your flight leaves in a couple of hours, right?"

Rukia nodded, "Why do you ask?" Ichigo looked at a small coffee shop nearby, "I want you to at least eat before going on your flight. As I can remember, they only give you pretzels and peanuts." Rukia's stomach growled as he said that, grabbing his hand as she led him to the coffee shop. Ichigo and Rukia sat at their table, eating their breakfast.

He loved catching her eating in small bites as if she thought he would think she was disgusting if she devoured it. Rukia looked up and caught him looking at her, "What are you looking at?" She teased, "What? Do I need permission to stare at you?" He asked her, teasing back.

Rukia nodded after taking her last gulp of coffee, "You do until we're official, yes." Ichigo chucked as he took his napkin to wipe some coffee off of the corner of her lips. "I guess that's fair." Rukia looked around the café to see beautiful women all over the place. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and suspicious.

"Ichigo, what do you think of that woman in the red?" Rukia asked him, pointing to show him the blonde in a red dress, red shoes and a red purse. Ichigo looked for a second and then back at her, "Uh… she likes… red?" Rukia looked at him more seriously, "No, do you think she's attractive?"

Ichigo looked back to look at her face then back at Rukia again, "Yeah, I guess. I mean, she isn't unattractive but she has nice features. Why are you ask... Oh… Do you not trust me…?" Rukia looked down at the floor, moving her feet across the tile.

"I… It's just a bad habit of mine…" Ichigo grabbed her chin with his fingers and lifted it up to meet her eyes, "I am not Grimmjow. I am completely different from him. What's the point of wanting to look at someone else when I have everything I've ever wanted right in front of me? That would be kind of silly now, wouldn't it?"

Rukia smiled gently, "I love you…" Ichigo smiled and kissed her lips passionately, "I love you too, Midget…"

"Alright, time to go." Ichigo said, pushing her towards the security entrance. Rukia turned around and looked at him with sad eyes, "Hey… don't give me that look. We'll see each other again… 6 months will fly by in a flash. Just keep your focus on school and you won't have to think about it as much."

Rukia hugged Ichigo around his neck tightly, "We'll get to Skype and talk when we're both free… We can watch movies at the same time together, play games, do homework together, etc…" Rukia hugged him tighter as he continued to try and comfort her.

They parted and kissed each other one last time, making sure it was as long as they could both manage. "I'll see you in the winter, okay? I'll pick you up, take you out to eat and we'll head to my family's home the next day and have an amazing time…"

Rukia's smile grew, "I'd love that…" Ichigo smiled as well, "I love you…" Her smile only grew more, "I love you too, Ichigo…" Ichigo stood there and continued to watch her as she went through security, receiving one last wave from her as she disappeared from his sight.

Rukia got a seat next to the window once again. She was pretty tired so she slept for about 5 out of the 6 hours of that flight. She sighed as she woke, reaching into her purse to grab her water bottle. Her hand touched a folded piece of paper. She pulled it out with a confused look on her face, opening it up to see what was inside.

_Hey Squirt,_

_I thought I'd write you some silly letter, apparently girls like romantic crap like that, (No offense... maybe a little...) I had a great time with you while you were here and I promise you'll have an even better time next time. Have a nice flight, Midget. You better be happy that they let toddlers on the plane because you'd have a long drive back home. _

_-Love, Ichigo (aka, Carrot Top) _

Rukia smiled and laughed at the last sentence, unable to keep herself from thinking of the next time she would see him.

_..!.._

Ichigo knocked on Grimmjow's apartment door later on that night. He had received a text message and 6 missed calls from Grimm just 15 minutes before. Grimmjow opened the door, shirtless and drunk as all hell. Ichigo stepped inside and sat on the couch.

"She left, man. Didn't even want to see me, didn't want to talk things out. Nothin', man, fucking nothing." Grimmjow said as he slammed his fist on the counter. "Well, from what you've said, you pissed her off pretty bad." Ichigo replied, Grimmjow laughed, "Yeah, I did. I couldn't keep my 'pig' eyes off of our hot piece of ass waitress. Wouldn't be the first time that happened."

Ichigo mimicked Grimmjow's laugh, "Exactly, it shows you give zero shits about how she feels. You promised yourself that you would calm down a bit whenever she was to visit you." Grimmjow walked over to the couch across from Ichigo, his legs looking like they were about to collapse.

"The bitch didn't even get me laid. Not fucking _one time_ did we fuck. What kind of bitch girlfriend is that?" Ichigo rolled his eyes and sat back, his eyes catching 2 sleeping women on his bed across the room. Ichigo lifted his head towards his creaked open bedroom door, "Maybe that's why. She probably thinks you're sleeping with other people—which you are."

Grimmjow looked to where he was gesturing at, "Ah, those bitches. Hey, there are two of them. I'll give you one if you want." Ichigo shook his head and got up to leave, "Nah, man. I'm not like that anymore." Grimmjow laughed in amusement, "That girl has you hooked, man. See, it won't last long. You'll get bored and want another type of flavor, its nature for us guys."

Ichigo shook his head, "Unlike you, I'm not a 'guy', I'm a man. See, Grimmjow, there are things called respect and loyalty. Maybe you should learn what those things mean when you aren't busy cheating on the one you love."

Grimmjow waved him off and muttered a 'Whatever', heading back into his room as he woke the 2 girls up, wanting to go another round. Ichigo shook his head in disgust and left the apartment. Ichigo knew for a fact that things would end so much quicker with Rukia and Grimmjow if he had just told her what was really going on.

But, that wouldn't be good on their relationship. Rukia would get into this extreme sensitive mode and not want to date anyone and trust him less because he didn't tell her sooner. 'Maybe I'm being a bit selfish…' Ichigo thought, not wanting anything bad coming in between him and Rukia.

However, he never took into consideration that Rukia could find out by herself. That if she found out herself, she would come crying to him and he'd have to tell her the truth, making her trust him a lot less if her were to.

_..!.._

The next morning Ichigo stopped by Momo's apartment. He sat there on her couch with a cup of coffee in hand. "What will we do if she finds out herself?" Momo asked him, sitting next to him. Ichigo stared at the coffee table in front of him, "How would she if she wants to stay away from him?"

Momo sighed, "Ichigo, do you really think that once Rukia moves here, Grimmjow will stop the habit of being sexual with other women in public? That he will stop having sex with different people?"

Ichigo closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together, "No… I don't know what to do, Momo. That would be an entire year of me lying to her face." Momo laughed, "Hey, I'm on the same boat. However, I do think she'd be more pissed with you because you're supposed to be her knight in shining armor."

Ichigo shook his head, "I would be a fool if I told her. I would instantly lose her, you know." Momo shrugged, "It's better than what could possibly happen if you didn't tell her and she caught him doing something she didn't approve of. No matter what yo say or think, Rukia still has some feelings for him. He can still hurt her.

They have been together for years for Christ sake. It's hard to remove all connections from a person that you've grown so fond of. You need to be careful with this, Ichigo… You need to really think this through… Otherwise, you could lose her." Ichigo continued to stare into space, hating that thought.

* * *

_A/N: I am so sorry for updating so late! I hope you guys can forgive me! And just so I can make you all a little more angry, I am going to Disneyland tomorrow and won't be back until Tuesday! I know, I suck! But I will be writing while I am there, so stop freaking out! :) Thank you all again for all of the kind words and support! _


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Now that Rukia was actually gone, Ichigo felt like he couldn't think about anything but her. And that's saying a lot. When she was actually here, he was a wreck; he was constantly worrying about things he never thought would bother him. Things like his posture, his wording, his looks and his personality.

Ichigo loved to think about her but from time to time, his thoughts always led to Grimmjow and if he should tell him. 'A good friend would tell him, right?' Ichigo sighed as his thoughts worked their way around how Grimmjow treated Rukia. Then he thought if Grimmjow even deserved to know.

It was such a mess situation that Ichigo got himself into. Ichigo snapped his eyes open and his head up to listen to his professor again. Rukia was so lucky that she started school later than Ichigo. She had more time to rest and get ready for the new school year. Ichigo sighed and brought his hand under his chin to rest upon it.

His eyes were about to close again when he caught Grimmjow flirting with someone next to him. One of his fingers was wrapped around a piece of her hair, his face close to hers as he grinned towards her. Ichigo shifted in his seat uncomfortably and decided to stay awake. Ichigo suddenly felt a finger poke his shoulder.

He sighed and turned around curiously. He inwardly groaned when his eyes fell upon an old ex girlfriend, Senna. He and Senna dated for about 2 years off and on. She was very clingy and dangerously observant. Whenever he decided to hang out with the guys, she would always ask if he hated her.

He could never understand why. He had told her plenty of times that he did not hate her and that he just wanted to spend some quality time with his friends. It didn't mean he disliked her or was tired of being around her.

She always did odd things like check his phone when she thought he wasn't paying attention or go through is crap in his apartment, sniffing and looking at his clothes to find any trace of evidence that he was having an affair. He thought he had gotten used to it after 2 years and just left it alone but in the end, it really got to him.

It made him distance himself from her more resulting in her bugging him more. At one point he was seriously scared of her. During the time he ignored her more, he was talking to Orihime one day about school work. He caught her behind a corner, looking as if she was planning something so horribly evil.

It still gives him shivers till this day. "Hey… Senna, what's up?" Ichigo asked as politely as he could. She smiled cheerfully and used her fingers from one hand to play with his shirt, "We haven't spoken in awhile and I've been sitting behind you for the past month." Ichigo nodded, already knowing this, "Yeah, I noticed. I can't exactly talk to you, considering the fact that I have to have my head turned backwards, giving the Teach a full view of a student not paying attention."

Senna looked over at the girl sitting next to him, grabbing her attention, "Pssstt! You! Trade me spots or you'll regret it!" She said in a threatening tone. The girls face was horrified as she nodded and grabbed her things, switching spots with Senna, her body still shaking as she sat down at her new seat.

Ichigo looked at the girl, feeling sorry for her. He gave her an apologetic look and glared to his side at Senna who was still smiling. "That's better, Ichigo! You sure have changed a lot. In the past you wouldn't care if the teacher caught you! You were such a rebel! Maybe Yuzu really rubbed off on you! Oh, I really miss your family! They are so super amazing!"

Ichigo groaned outwardly this time. Senna was the only girl he brought home before and his family despised her. Senna constantly asked his father and sisters the types of girls he liked and what qualities he was attracted to most. She even had a list of baby names for the nonexistent children she thought they would have together.

'Even dad and Ayame aren't _that_ insane…' Ichigo's eyes looked down and to the side at a paper Senna was doodling on. His eyes closed for a second in frustration after they caught a glance of their full names next to each other in a heart. Senna looked at her masterpiece and sighed happily.

She looked up at Ichigo, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she covered the heart with her hands, "Ichigo, would you like to go to a movie and ice cream with me this weekend?" Ichigo looked at the professor, "Busy." Senna tried again, "Dinner?" Ichigo shook his head.

"How about a picnic at the park like our first date was?" Ichigo sprinted towards the door as soon as the clock struck 3:00PM and drove as fast as he could back home.

_..!.._

Ichigo sat back on his couch with his laptop on his lap, waiting for it to start up. He instantly pressed the "Answer with video" button once Rukia called him on Skype. Ichigo's heart skipped a beat once he saw Rukia on the other side of the screen. Rukia smiled brightly, waving and saying hello.

Ichigo smiled gently and waved back, "Hey, Munchkin… How are you? How is school?" Rukia rolled her eyes, "I'm good and school is school. Speaking of which, you look like you haven't slept for a week straight! What's wrong?" Ichigo sat there and thought for a second; debating on if he should tell her about Senna.

"Uhm… school is school, like you said…" Rukia looked at him suspiciously, "You haven't told me about any big projects you're doing whether it is an essay or an actual project." Ichigo shrugged and looked off to the side, feeling a little guilty. He looked back at Rukia and saw that she was giving him 'that look'.

Ichigo gave in, "I dated a girl for 2 years in the past and her name is Senna. She's a psychotic and overpowering twit that happens to sit behind me in English and annoyed me today." Rukia smirked, feeling accomplished by cracking him. "Is she really that bad?" Ichigo nodded with his eyes wide opened, "She is_ that_ _bad_."

_24 hours later after Ichigo talked to Orihime at lunch, the gang decided to have lunch at the school courtyard in front of the college building. Senna decided to sit next to Orihime and touched her hair lightly, "You have such beautiful hair, Orihime! I wish mine could grow this long and radiant…" Orihime smiled cheerfully, "Thank you, Senna! Yours is very pretty too, don't you worry!" _

_Senna sneaked into Orihime's house last night with a pair of scissors. A huge evil grin was plastered across her face as she spotted Orihime sleeping peacefully on her bed. She snapped the scissors before cutting off a big chunk of Orihime's hair, feeling more and more satisfied as each and every hair she cut off fell to the ground. That morning, Orihime came into the coffee shop crying, her hair stuffed into a hat she wore. Ichigo eyed Senna carefully as Senna comforted Orihime in an oddly guilty way…_

Rukia sat there with a blank face, "Wow, what a bitch." Ichigo laughed softly, "Yeah, she was… probably still is but hey, people change." Rukia rose one of her eyebrows, "Yeah, I don't think someone like that could change so drastically."

Ichigo decided to just nod in agreement as he thought about his encounter with her today, 'She probably hasn't changed at all.' Ichigo readjusted himself on his couch and yawned, "So really, how is school?" Ichigo asked her, "School is going good. It's really lonely in my apartment now that I am back home. I didn't exactly mind it before we met but… now that I'm back to my normal life; I just can't wait to move this next summer. I'll be near you, Momo and my brother."

Ichigo nodded and smiled happily, "And you'll make a ton of friends as well. Oh, and my family, I guess." Rukia laughed at Ichigo's laughing tone, feeling a lot less stressed about the move. "Well, we have time to watch a movie and talk before you have to go to bed."

He smiled at Rukia but it soon vanished when he noticed she was looking down at her lap. "What's wrong, Rukia?" She shook her head and sadly said, "I just wish I were there already, going to school with you and seeing Momo every day."

Ichigo itched his nose with his pointer finger and grinned at her, "Hey, be patient. I'm not going anywhere and neither is Momo. We just have to wait. And plus, you being away for an entire year will give you the chance to think things through about everything, including separating yourself and your emotions from Grimmjow."

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck roughly after he said that. Rukia asked him what was wrong and he replied, "Eh… I'm just… I feel like I'm stabbing him in the back. But he really doesn't make you happy. If it were any other guy, Grimmjow couldn't really do anything but kick the shit out of him. But with me, Grimmjow would be able to do that _and_ break our friendship."

Rukia felt horrible. She felt like throwing up from the image of Ichigo's face beat in black and blue. Then she thought of Grimmjow's anger, of if he would dare to touch her too. Ichigo bit his lip and stared at her, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up…"

Rukia nodded, "I understand why you did. It's just something that's been on both of our minds and will be until the time comes." Ichigo smiled softly and put his head closer to the webcam, "We have each other, alright? No more pouting like a big baby…" Rukia smiled and nodded in agreement, "We have each other."

_..!.._

The next couple of weeks went by fast. Ichigo and Rukia talked as much as they could but given the time difference, Rukia had to go to sleep 3 hours before Ichigo had to. Every single time Ichigo had saw Senna during class or just on campus, she would ask him constantly if they could do something together, even just as 'friends'.

Of course, Ichigo said no every time and made it clear he was starting to lose it with her asking so much. Senna knew this and decided to just ignore it and keep asking him. She had something up her sleeve anyways. So sooner or later, Ichigo would have no choice but to say yes.

She didn't think Ichigo would notice her same old ways, but he did. Every time he would get a text during class, he would take notice of her eyes glued to his phone screen and curious of whom was texting him. Little did he know that she knew… she knew exactly who it was.

Ichigo was still the same around Grimmjow, he was tense and cautious of everything he said. Some of the group had asked him what was up and if it had anything to do with that girl he was seeing but luckily Toshiro and Momo were there to change the subject. It came upon December and Ichigo's stress level had hit the roof.

Grimmjow meant a lot to Ichigo. They were friends for such a long time and it would take years and years to earn his trust back if he found out what was going on between him and Rukia. Ichigo was ready to burst but it quickly vanished once Grimmjow had left for the holidays.

That next morning after Grimmjow had left; Ichigo had grabbed his coffee, went to his usual spot and talked to Ayame, "Things are just so… tangled in this huge knot. I have no idea where to start to make it simpler again." Ayame's hands were over her heart as she listened to Ichigo.

"Oh, this would make such a lovely story! Two close friends turning into rivals as they fight their way to the woman they both desperately love!" Ichigo rolled his eyes, "I'm being serious, grandma. You better help me out right now. You don't want your story saying you just babbled on about how great this book is going to be while I sit here, needing assistance. You could very well give me the answers I need to make this work."

Ayame gasped and nodded, "You're right! I could be the hero. Oh my, Ichigo, this would be perfect! Not only would I have a book published, but I would be the top Town's Love Guru!" Ichigo slapped his hand against his forehead and closed his eyes tightly in frustration.

Ichigo's head snapped up as he heard the coffee café's door bell ring. His eyes shot wide open and he was quick on his feet when he discovered it was Rukia. She stood there smiling across the room at Ichigo. She made her way to the library and Ichigo ran to her, picking her up and spun her around.

She laughed in delight and looked up at him when he put her back down, "I thought I had to pick you up at 2!" Ichigo exclaimed, Rukia only smiling. "I had to rent my own car, Ichigo. I wasn't going to have you drive me around everywhere."

Ichigo smiled leaned in to kiss her deeply, she returned it as well. "So… have you decided where you want to stay…?" Ichigo asked her, his eyes searching hers. "I have… I think I would like to stay with you this time… But I have to get Momo's approval first." Ichigo laughed shortly and kissed the top of her head, "Alright, you go do that then. The last thing I need is two midgets beating up on me."

Ichigo had spent those couple of hours cleaning his apartment some more. He wasn't sure that Rukia would choose to stay with him since they had only just met. But, it had been 4 months so they were a lot more comfortable around one another.

Ichigo set some folded blankets and pillow on his fold out couch that Yuzu had picked out for him. He was quite surprised to find it comfortable just like any other bed. "I guess the higher the price, the better the quality…" Ichigo mumbled as he remembered the numbers on the tag.

A knock at his door had made him jump slightly, shaking it off as he turned the knob. "She's okay with it! She just told you to keep your filthy hands off of me." Rukia said as she walked passed him to put her things down, "You couldn't tell me you were here? I could have helped you with those bags."

Rukia scoffed, "I'm a big girl, Ichigo. I can handle myself." Ichigo walked over to her and tickled her sides for punishment. He sat down on the couch and patted his lap lightly for Rukia to come over to him. She did as he said and sat down on his lap, looking at him curiously.

"I hope you like Italian food." He said to her as she looked back at him, "Why, are you talking me somewhere?" Ichigo shook his head and grinned, "Nope, I'm making you dinner. I wouldn't drag you around town when you've been on that plane all day." Rukia was extremely surprised.

She had never had a male make dinner for her, let alone a boyfriend. 'Wait… is he my boyfriend…? Jesus… I can't think about this kind of crap right now.' Rukia just smiled and thanked him. 'Maybe I'll ask him about it later…'

Rukia couldn't believe how good of a cook Ichigo was. She practically gargled down the Gnocchi he made for her. Ichigo watched her with a big smile, not even getting through half of his own yet. "Jeez, Midget… If I knew you were that hungry, I would have made more."

Rukia laughed in embarrassment as she wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin, "Yuzu really taught you a lot, didn't she?" Ichigo nodded as he continued to eat, "She wouldn't let me leave for college until I knew how to cook at least some things. Speaking of which, we're going to see them this weekend. Everyone is so excited to see you, especially the girls."

Butterflies formed in Rukia's stomach as she thought about meeting them for the first time. She had never met Grimmjow's parents; he didn't even like speaking of them. She had thought something probably happened between them because the only thing she knew was that they were divorced.

But even then, Ichigo was so open to his family even though they had problems as well. "I won't lie, I'm a little nervous." Rukia said as she got up to rinse her plate. Ichigo followed after her and cleaned his own plate while his chest pressed up against her back to reach in front of him.

Shivers glided down Rukia's spine as Ichigo talked, his breath hitting against her ear and neck, "They will love you, don't worry too much about it. You'll just end up being a nervous and shy wreck the entire time we're there." Rukia tried to hide her smile but Ichigo got a good glimpse of it.

Ichigo nuzzled her neck and grinned against it, "So, are you making me sleep on the couch?" Rukia looked at him and smiled as her fingers played with his, "Depends… are you going to be a pervert?" Ichigo laughed against her neck, tickling her in the process, "Only if you lead things that way… other than that, no."

Rukia nodded, "You can sleep with me if you'd like, then." Ichigo wouldn't have minded if she said he couldn't. But, sleeping in his bed with her was a lot better than sleeping on a couch separated from her. He didn't know if anything was to happen and he didn't expect anything from her.

But for him, being away from someone he fell in love with just made him want to hold her that much more. Rukia mumbled that she was going to make herself at home and get ready for bed. Ichigo nodded in understanding and decided to clean up a bit. Ichigo thought about how well Yuzu imitated his mother.

He didn't really get to feel how it was to take care of things around the house. He thought that when you're younger, in most cases if you had a mother like Ichigo's, you got taken care of 24/7. You didn't have to worry about cooking or cleaning, grocery shopping and the like.

Ichigo was glad that Yuzu taught him some things about how to take care of yourself so you don't end up living like a pig. Ichigo dried his hands off and walked into his bedroom that was now opened. He peaked inside of his bathroom and smiled at the Rukia brushing her teeth. She looked over at him in the mirror and waved.

He laughed and grabbed his toothbrush as well, putting a pea sized amount of toothpaste on his, "You know, I like it when you can't talk." Ichigo said before brushing his teeth with her. Rukia's eyebrows furrowed in anger, almost making Ichigo choke on his toothpaste from laughter.

Rukia spit her toothpaste out and walked out of the bathroom and onto his bed. He couldn't help but stare at her bare legs that were sprawled across the bed. It was difficult to contain himself, considering the fact that Rukia was just in a tank top and short shorts.

He snapped out of his day dreaming and spit out his toothpaste as well. 'Jesus, Rukia…' Ichigo thought as he tried to hide the evidence of his growing crotch while walking over to the other side of the bed. Ichigo turned the light off on his side and scooted closer to her.

She smiled and did the same, backing against his chest. Ichigo wrapped his arm around her waist and nuzzled his face against her neck. He closed his eyes and mumbled, "You'll have fun this weekend, don't worry. And if you don't, blame it all on me, okay?" Rukia nodded as they both shut their eyes, "Okay, Carrot top, okay…"

_..!.._

Grimmjow was on a train to his mother's vacation home. There was a blonde sitting right next to him, apparent that she was traveling with him. The blonde shrieked in excitement when she noticed the snow growing more and more as the train moved rapidly. Grimmjow smiled as he imagined Rukia's reaction to the snow.

She had never seen snow in her life and he wished he were the one to see her face when she first lays eyes on it. 'That'll happen one day… I'm sure of it…' Grimmjow thought as a bad feeling formed his stomach of the fact that the girl next to him wasn't her.

He hated himself even more for deciding to take someone else to this vacation home just because Rukia couldn't make it. He knew he would have been fine going on his own but he somehow pretended that Rukia knew this was going on and it was his way to flip her off.

Grimmjow shoved his hands through his hair in frustration and stress, taking back what he last thought. The woman next to him was beautiful but she was dense and stupid as a rock. Her personality was boring and bland; she only cared about merchandise and name brands.

She wasn't Rukia. She didn't have beautiful violet eyes that twinkled with excitement, she wasn't down to earth and laid back, she wasn't intelligent and a unique person. Grimmjow questioned himself of why he kept doing this… why he pretended that Rukia wasn't enough. 'I already promised myself to stop when she moves here next year… I will stop, I will…'

Grimmjow and "Rebecca" arrived at the beautiful cabin, the area covered in pure white snow. As soon as they walked through the door and Grimmjow put down their things, he picked up the woman and sat her down on the mini bar table. "Ooooh… already, Grimmy?" Grimmjow smirked at her playful fingers moving against his neck, kissing her deeply and roughly.

She squirmed beneath his grasp in pleasure and giggled annoyingly when he pressed up against her. His lips continued to move against her abnormally large ones, his hand moving up her skirt. Out of nowhere, Grimmjow's mind tweaked out on him.

A sudden and brief flashback came into picture, Rukia's face appearing. She was laughing with him as he tickled her uncontrollably, her head falling back as she laughed more. Grimmjow shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong, sweetie? Do you want to go over to the bedroom?" Grimmjow shook his head and thought for a moment. He kissed her again, his lips moving even more roughly against hers. His hand continued up until his fingers found the hem of her thong, pulling it off. The blonde continued to beckon him for more, her hands now in front of his pants.

She unbuckled his belt and threw it across the room, giggling again. His pants fell down to his feet with his boxers next. He kicked them both off and began kissing all over the tops of her breasts.

The blonde moaned loudly, Grimmjow receiving another flash back. It hit his mind like a boulder to a wall, crashing into him. Rukia was in one of her beautiful sun dresses, lying on the grass next to him. Her beautiful eyes were staring up at the clouds as she babbled on about something. He didn't care what she was saying; he was too hypnotized by her.

Grimmjow snapped back, the blonde confused again. He ignored it and tore off her shirt and bra, ravishing her left nipple. The blonde giggled and moaned out loud, her legs wrapping around his waist. She felt him hard and up against her inner thigh, moving her hips so he went between her wet folds.

She moaned loudly again, making him moan as well. Grimmjow's face went blank as his mind went through one more faze; it was Rukia's face again. She was standing there alone, it was dark and quiet. Her eyes were bolted with redness, tears streaming down her face nonstop.

It showed what she was staring at, it was Grimmjow ramming roughly into another woman who was sprawled out on a bed. Grimmjow jerked away from the blonde and went over to the bar, grabbing the strongest sake he could find. "What is it? Why are you drinking?" The blonde asked as Grimmjow chugged down a great deal of it.

He went over to the blonde and continued with her, "Alright, I'm ready." The blonde hesitated, "I don't like it when you're drunk and we're having sex… you get all rough, sweetie." Grimmjow looked at her with the most threatening look she had ever seen, "I said I'm ready."

The blonde got off the counter and quickly ran to the bedroom, an attempt to lock the door and hide until he was better. Grimmjow caught her, however. "When I say I'm ready, you _better fucking continue_." His hand was clenching tight around her wrists, bruising them as she cried for help.

One of his hands clasped harshly against her mouth to shut her up, shoving her against the couch as he pounded roughly into her. Nobody could hear her screams but Grimmjow and Grimmjow only.

_..!.._

The drive to Ichigo's house was exciting and fun. Ichigo and Rukia constantly fought against the radio, apparent that they both had different tastes in music. Rukia thought she had the upper hand on changing it but she was wrong. She noticed the radio changing back instantly after she had changed it.

She looked at it confusingly and tried changing it again, the same thing happening. She looked over at Ichigo, his face was blank, "Uhm, I think your radio is broken." Ichigo smiled a little, hiding it half a second after making it. Rukia caught this and kept her eyes on him suspiciously.

She turned it again and noticed his hand flinching slightly. Her eyes went wide as she pointed at his wheel, "There's a thingy on your wheel! I knew it!" Ichigo looked at her confused and back at the road, trying not to smile, "What thingy? I have no idea what you're talking about?" Rukia was referring to the buttons on his wheel that allowed him to change the radio station by just simply pushing the buttons.

Rukia snorted, "You can't_ fool_ me."She said as she unbuckled her seat belt to hover her body over his to check. "Rukia, you're going to make me crash, you god damn _brat_!" Rukia smiled victoriously, getting back into her own seat, buckling her seat belt. "I saw it! You lied!"

Ichigo laughed and shook his head, "See, it wasn't my radio that was broken, it was that little brain of yours." Rukia slapped his arm as he laughed and winced. They pulled up into his driveway, his eyes noticing a unfamiliar car across the street, 'Maybe someone's visiting our neighbors…'

He shrugged it off and went over to Rukia's side to open her door, receiving a thank you. He glanced at her and chuckled, "You'll be fine, like I've said a million times already." Ichigo knocked on the door and it opened instantly. His father pulled him into a huge and suffocating hug.

Ichigo pushed his father away and punched his father right in the stomach, Rukia gasping, "Ichigo, what did you do! Oh, you poor thing!" She said as she rubbed his father's back. Isshin grinned widely and hugged Rukia the same way he did to Ichigo.

"Masaki, we have another daughter! Can you believe it?!" Ichigo interrupted his father by pulling Rukia away from him, shoving him out of their way. Yuzu and Karin were so excited to see Rukia. They immediately made their way to her and introduced themselves.

"Oh, Rukia, we've heard so much about you! You are just as lovely as Ichigo described!" Ichigo blushed as Yuzu went on. Rukia looked over at him, "Really now? I didn't know Ichigo spoke so much about me." Yuzu nodded quickly, jumping up and down, "Oh yes! Especially to me! He always says how prett-"

Ichigo put his hand over Yuzu's mouth and chuckled nervously, "Don't listen to this little twerp." Yuzu escaped and escorted them to the dinner table, "I made your favorite, Ichigo! And I made plenty of it." Ichigo thanked her as they walked into the dining room.

Yuzu stopped in her tracks and looked over at him apologetically, "Oh and… we have a guest." Ichigo poked his head over Yuzu and sighed. It was Senna, "Jesus Christ…" Ichigo mumbled, his hopes of an amazing night had just vanished.

* * *

**_HUGE _**_apologizes to the people who were waiting for this next chapter. I can't say anything but sorry! I pray that you guys like this chapter and thank you so much for reading!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

"Who is this?" Rukia asked them, wondering why Ichigo's reaction was introduced so poorly. Ichigo grabbed Senna by the arm and led her out the door, "She isn't anyone you need to know." He said before he left, shutting the front door with a slam. "What the hell are you doing here?" Ichigo asked her angrily.

She smiled cheerfully and grabbed his hands but his instantly left hers. She frowned up at Ichigo, "I'm just here to spend time with you!" Ichigo growled at her, "Get. Out." Senna giggled and placed her hand on Ichigo's chest, "Oh Ichii… you shouldn't treat me so rash… there's a lot I know about you…"

Ichigo rose one of his eyebrows, "Excuse me…?" Senna stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear, "I'll tell you after break… try and have some fun… because you'll miss it when it's gone…" She back up slowly, keeping her deadly eyes on him as she walked to her car.

Ichigo stood there with a blank face until she was gone. "What the hell was that supposed to mean…?" He said out loud. He sighed once and went back into the house, "Alright, the wicked witch is gone. Can we please eat already? I'm starving." Everyone was at the table while Ichigo was complaining.

Rukia looked worried as he sat down next to her. Ichigo didn't bother to look at her, "Don't worry about it." His family decided to ignore it and continue with eating. Everything that night had gone well besides the early incident with Senna. They kept her out of their conversations the entire time, Rukia still having her in the back of her mind.

She wanted to know who she was and why Ichigo was acting so hostile towards her. She figured it would just be best if she waited for him to tell her who exactly that woman was. "So, Yuzu, has Ichigo always been so good at cooking?" Yuzu laughed, "Of course not! Gnocchi is the only thing he can make well. I still have a lot to teach him but he knows the basics."

Ichigo frowned once Yuzu revealed that he was indeed a horrible cook still. He thought he had impressed her so well. "How about you, Rukia? Do you cook often?" Rukia looked up from her plate and to Yuzu, nodding in reply, "Everything that I had been taught was from my sister. She was simply amazing at everything."

Yuzu and Rukia continued to talk about cooking and recipes they could trade. It wasn't something Ichigo would normally sit through but seeing the huge smile on Rukia's face and hearing her laughter while talking with his family was breath taking. It was the complete opposite of their first impression of Senna.

Rukia simply wanted to get to know his family more and not ask them for advice she didn't need. Senna only wanted to know about Ichigo and Ichigo only. She had no interest whatsoever of what his sisters liked to do for fun or even ask Isshin what he did for work.

Rukia was so much different on all different levels. She even helped clean off the table and offered to take the girls out the next day. Ichigo felt like he was being a little creepy with watching how she was with his family. Everything about her was just so different than most girls.

Rukia couldn't stop smiling on the ride home. She talked about them nonstop, telling Ichigo she had such an amazing time. Ichigo laughed cheerfully, "I told you, didn't I? I'm glad you had a good time,_ like I said_." Rukia sighed happily and looked over at him, smiling wider, "Thank you for taking me, I really appreciate it."

Ichigo smiled as well, "Of course, Rukia." Once they finally got home, Ichigo immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower, leaving Rukia on the bed with her laptop. While she was browsing the web, her phone suddenly rang. She picked up her phone to see who it was-Grimmjow of course.

She knew he would call sooner or later. She got off the bed and walked outside to Ichigo's private balcony. Rukia lazily closed the sliding door; the door closed half of the way. She answered it, trying to smile, "Hey, Grimm… How are you?" Grimmjow's voice was low but relieved that she picked up, "Hey baby… I miss you."

Rukia's heart jumped with sadness. "I miss you too… Are you having fun with your family?" She asked him. He winced at the question, getting ready to tell another lie, "Yeah, things are going great. How are you?" Rukia felt the same way as Grimmjow, getting ready to lie back, "I'm good, I'm all settled in and school is going great."

Grimmjow felt horrible all of a sudden. She was 3 thousand miles away while he was pounding into some random girl at his mother's vacation home. "So, I was thinking that you should… move in with me when you come here next year." Rukia wasn't surprised at his suggestion. She had thought about what it would be like to live with Grimmjow.

She had imaged them arguing quite a bit about the main issue of their relationship. "Yeah…. I thought about that Grimmjow… I don't think that's a very good idea. I think we need to take things very slow for right now…" Grimmjow smiled sadly, expecting that answer, "Why?" He simply asked her.

"I just… I don't… I… I don't trust…you… I think you might be doing things behind my back… things that would emotionally ruin me." Grimmjow moved his leg up and down quickly, running a hand through his hair over and over. "I would never do anything like that, Rukia. You know I love you more than life itself."

Rukia looked down at her feet uncomfortably, "We can talk about this later… I'm a little busy right now…" Ichigo was dressed and ready for bed when he came out to the balcony to greet Rukia, "Hey, Squirt! Come get in bed with me." Grimmjow's ears perked up at the sound of the males voice, "Who the hell is that?! Is someone at your house?! Rukia, I'm _going to beat_ his ass!"

Rukia waved Ichigo off and mouthed 'Grimmjow' to him. Ichigo's eyes opened, giving her an apologetic look. "That was the neighbors, Grimmjow. I'm outside right now." At least she only half lied there. Grimmjow calmed down, "I'm… sorry. I know you would never do something like that to me…"

Rukia sighed heavily, "Alright well… I'm going to head off. I'll talk to you later alright?" Grimmjow understood, "Yeah, I'll talk to you later. I love yo-" She had already disconnected the call. 'Well, that was weird… she always says she loves me before we head out…' Grimmjow threw his phone across the room and looked over at the bruised and passed out blonde next to him.

"I'm sorry about that! Grimmjow called me out of nowhere and if I don't' pick up, he freaks out and when he freaks out, he calls my neighbors and my neighbors would say I wasn't there, and then he would fly all the way out to where I live and see that I'm not there then—" Ichigo kissed her suddenly.

"I understand, Rukia… no need to babble on about it for another hour. I'm sorry I almost blew our cover. I should have kept my mouth shut when I was trying to find you." He rubbed her back gently while she stood in front of him, his body sitting at the edge of the bed.

Ichigo noticed that his gesture was relaxing her so his hands made their way up to her shoulders, massaging them deeply. Her eyes closed as her head rolled back, apparent that she was extremely stressed. Ichigo's fingers slid over to her neck, his warm touch making her shiver.

One of his hands grasped the back of her neck to pull her forward, kissing her deeply. Ichigo and Rukia's lips danced in perfect motion together, their bodies getting heated with each passing second. Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hips and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her deeper.

Rukia began to feel driven with lust for Ichigo but not really sure if she wanted to continue this. It was difficult for both of them to contain themselves. Rukia pulled away from Ichigo and smiled at him, "I really… _really_ want to, Ichigo. But I feel very uncomfortable about this. I think I would rather wait until we have things settled with Grimmjow."

Ichigo quickly nodded, "That's completely fine. I'm sorry if I pressured you in any way… I didn't mean to." She told him it was fine while he kissed her on the forehead gently. That night, they decided to wait. And Ichigo had no problem with it at all.

_..!.._

It was completely different waking up in Ichigo's apartment compared to Grimmjow's. The light crept in through the beautiful silk curtains. Rukia groaned in her throat and moved her head to look beside her. She noticed Ichigo was missing and then her nostrils found the smell of coffee brewing and the smell of bacon and eggs.

Immediately her stomach started growling. She didn't want to get up, Ichigo's bed was too comfortable and the atmosphere of his room was so relaxing. She silently cursed Yuzu for having too much talent with decorating and sat up. Grimmjow's room was dark and cramped.

He never fixed the curtain rod that was balancing on just one end of the window while the other was nearly close to hitting the floor. His dresser drawers were never pushed in, trash of all kinds of snacks and bottles of alcohol sprawled all over his floor and his sheets felt so dirty as if he hadn't washed them in years.

His room was a pigsty and the smell told it all. She thought he would have the courtesy to clean up after himself but the only room he managed to clean was the living room where you first walk into. He thought it would give her the impression that he at least tried to make things neat for her visits but apparently the rest of the house showed her exactly how much he tried.

Having a sister like Yuzu, Ichigo learned how to pick up after himself. Sure, he wasn't the cleanest person on the planet but he learned to appreciate the things that he had. Rukia left the bed and the thought of having to see her brother soon crossed her mind.

She decided to figure out the details later and walked into the kitchen to find Ichigo. She smiled to herself when she saw him, back facing her as he stood over the stove and flipped over a pancake. He hummed a familiar tune as he did this and noticed Rukia's footsteps getting closer and closer.

He smiled and turned around, "Good morning, sleepyhead." She looked over at the plates covered in food on his dining room table. "You really didn't have to make all of this, Ichigo." She said to him, feeling grateful yet felt bad because of all the work he put himself through just to make her a good meal.

He flipped the last pancake on the small piled plate and brought it over to the table. He grabbed her chair and pulled it out for her, waiting patiently for her to sit. She smirked and sat down, thanking him. He grabbed his pitcher of orange juice and poured some for her.

He sat down in his seat and began grabbed everything to his liking. "Grimmjow called you this morning. I think he left a message." Ichigo told her without looking up from his plate. Suddenly everything felt so awkward for her. She nodded, "Thank you for letting me know, I'll listen to it later."

Ichigo cleared the tension with a question, "So where are you taking the girls today?" Rukia shrugged and smiled while eating her food, "Shopping, what else?" She said in a teasing tone. "Ah man, wish I could go. Sounds like so much fun." He said sarcastically, smirking at her. "Very funny, what are you going to do today?"

Ichigo was so happy he didn't have any work to do over this break. "I'm thinking of just inviting the guys over to hang out and play some video games." Rukia drank the last of her orange juice and wiped her mouth. "So, like a slumber party?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "No, not that girly crap. We aren't 12 anymore so we can all easily drive back home late at night. Unless Renji decides to bring some alcohol… then I guess some of the guys could crash here until morning."

Rukia stood up to rinse her plate, "I don't mind. I can just stay over at your family's home tonight, then. I don't think any of them know about me yet and I don't want to spread any more of this drama." Ichigo nodded and cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Alright, you can have my room if you'd like."

She sat on the couch and flipped the TV on, "Can I snoop through your things?" Ichigo brought his dish to the sink as well, "Nope, and I'll know if you do."

_..!.._

Rukia giggled as she poked at the old bear that was sitting on Ichigo's dresser. Yuzu smiled next to Rukia and spoke, "That's Little Bear. Mom bought that for Ichigo's first birth day." Rukia admired it and knew it probably meant a huge deal to Ichigo.

"Why didn't he bring it with him?" Yuzu sighed and ran her fingers over one of the bear's paws. "Too many memories, I'm guessing. Nobody is over her death, especially Ichigo." Rukia wondered how much it would take for Ichigo to accept her death and live on with nothing holding him back.

It would take time but Ichigo could get through it with his friends and family. Rukia grabbed Yuzu's hand, "Hey, enough of this. We have shopping to do." Yuzu returned to her cheerful state and they both left to grab Karin and head out the door.

Karin wasn't really one for shopping. Her sense of style was completely different from Yuzu's and Rukia's. So, Karin decided to bring a friend and the four separated into 2 groups , deciding to meet up for lunch in 2 hours. Rukia didn't want to drag Karin everywhere into places she wasn't interested in.

She wanted her to have her own kind of fun in a place that she wouldn't normally go to. While Rukia and Yuzu started shopping, Yuzu couldn't stop talking about this guy she had a major crush on. "He is soooo cute, Rukia! He's a great athlete but isn't that bright- but _oh that smile_!"

Rukia shook her head as she skimmed through the clothes on the rack. "I've heard things about him, though." Yuzu said as Rukia poked her head up in curiosity, "Things like what?" Rukia asked her, feeling a little skeptical about this boy.

"He has anger problems. One time the teacher kept bugging him to wake up during class and kept doing so for awhile. He finally lost it and flipped his desk over and left!" Rukia frowned at Yuzu. She knew how she felt because Rukia was once in her place.

But Rukia didn't find out about Grimmjow's anger until months after they were dating. "Yuzu, I know it's great and all to find someone attractive. But, don't get ahead of yourself when you think of dating them.

Especially if one has a serious problem that could affect your relationship in a bad way." Yuzu nodded as Rukia gave her words of wisdom. "Trust me, once you find a guy that treats you nice and believes in equality, you'll find him just as attractive."

Yuzu smiled and hugged Rukia, surprising her. "Thank you, Rukia! You're going to be a great big sister!" Rukia laughed with her, embarrassed at the thought of her and Ichigo being married.

_..!.._

"Dude, what the hell? You said you had my back!" Ichigo screamed at Renji, furiously clicking his mouse. Renji sat on the floor next to Ichigo, his laptop in front of him on the living room coffee table. "Some asshole cut me off and killed me; I can't help you when I'm DEAD, IDIOT!"

Ichigo kicked his foot out in frustration, it hitting one of the table legs. His glass tipped back and forth as he did this, eventually falling over and spilling all over his leg, "Agh! God dammit, I hate everything!" Ichigo got up from his spot on the floor and went to the bathroom to clean his leg off, mumbling angrily the whole time through.

As soon as he was done, he went back into the living room and sat on the couch, letting out a sigh. "Dude, I'm done. I need a minute to not want to demolish everything in this apartment." Renji agreed and sat next to him. Chad and Toshiro sat on the other side of the sectional, rolling their eyes at the two of them.

"Maybe if you didn't have a losing issue with games, you'd be fine, Ichigo." Toshiro said with a slight smirk. Ichigo groaned and stretched his body. "Well, other than that, you seem a lot happier than we've ever seen you, Ichigo. Somethin goin on with that chick of yours?"

Ichigo didn't move his eyes from the spot on the table his eyes were fixated on. "Yeah, it has something to do with her." Renji sensed a bit of discomfort from him and continued, "Did something happen? Is she really a dude or some shit?" Toshiro spoke up, "Nah, Ichigo would be a lot happier if that were the case."

Chad and Renji laughed out loud as Ichigo glared at all three of them. "I've known you assholes for years and years. I'm not a bad guy and I don't think you guys think I am. But I've done something that would probably piss all of you off." Renji relaxed more on his spot on the couch, "What, you're actually straight?"

Another wave of laughter left their mouths as Ichigo sighed, running a hand across his face, "The girl that I am in love with is Grimmjow's girlfriend." All of them sat silent, not knowing what to say. "See, I told you that you'd guys would hate me for it." Ichigo suddenly regretted telling them.

"Ichigo, I knew about this already and once I found out, I didn't judge you for it. You two idiots fell in love not knowing who each other was. It wasn't exactly your fault even though I'd like to blame you for everything." Toshiro admitted as Renji sat there confused, "You knew? How- Oooohh… She's friends with Momo, I get it."

Renji turned to Ichigo, "Man up, Ichigo. It doesn't matter what we think. Yeah, it's pretty unfortunate but you'll find a way out of this." Ichigo lifted his head to look at Renji, "What do you mean?" Renji laughed, "I mean you're gonna have one hell of a brawl with our friend Grimmjow. He _will_ find out, you know."

Ichigo bit his lip hard from the thought. "I don't want to fight him. I know he would be pissed to all hell but… What's the point of hurting each other? It isn't going to solve anything." Renji smirked, "That's where you're wrong. Beating the shit out of you will give him so much satisfaction." Ichigo wasn't ready for that.

He didn't want to think about what was to come. All it did was stress him the hell out. "But the thing that the guy needs to realize is that he's done so much crap to hurt the one he loves. I mean its okay for him to go out and fuck some random chick but if Rukia decided to be with someone else that actually treated her right; she'd be in the wrong. It's a double standard and I'm not okay with that."

Ichigo confessed as a hand went through his hair, "Rukia doesn't even know about the things he's actually done. And he's been doing this to her for _years_. I've seen him make out with numerous of girls around campus and even walked in on him having sex. I've lost count of how many girls he's been through. It's impossible to keep up with that."

Renji put an arm on Ichigo's shoulder, "All of us are supporting you, Ichigo. None of us think that what Grimmjow is doing is right. She does need someone to really take care of her-Hell, everyone does. But when shit goes down, don't think for a second that we'll side with that asshole."

Ichigo smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Renji." Ichigo suddenly felt better, knowing that his oldest and dearest friends would stick with him once shit started hitting the fan.

Ichigo sighed with sadness as he hugged Rukia goodbye at the airport. He didn't want her to leave but he knew the sooner she left, the faster he would get to see her again. Things were going to be a lot different for everyone once she moves to their location.

Ichigo had plenty of time to figure out exactly what he was going to say once Grimmjow learned the news. He didn't exactly plan to black mail Grimmjow, either. He then thought of Senna after he thought of 'black mail'. He was wondering what she knew exactly.

Sure, Ichigo was out in public with Rukia more than once. But, Ichigo already knew this woman; she always stayed on campus for breakfast and lunch. It was possible that Senna actually took the motive to follow Ichigo. He thought she was long over him, though.

If Senna did know something, he would be in deep shit. Ichigo breathed in the scent of Rukia's shampoo smothered in her hair that she used that morning. He smiled when he thought back to when she "accidently" forgot that she had left it there in his shower that morning.

'God, I love this girl…' Ichigo smiled down at her as she smiled back sadly. "Stay safe, okay Midget?" Ichigo ruffled her hair and kissed her nose. "I will, Carrot Top." She kissed his lips one last time and turned to leave. Ichigo stayed there, watching her as she went through security.

She turned around and waved one last time, he waved back and left once he couldn't see her anymore. 'Just 6 months, Ichigo. Just 6 months…' He thought to himself as he started his car to drive back home.

_..!.._

Grimmjow and the blonde rode back home on the train. It was late at night and they were the only two throughout their entire section. The blonde couldn't sit still next to Grimmjow. She became incredibly uncomfortable ever since Grimmjow did what he did. She was so angry at herself for what she got herself into.

She knew Grimmjow was an angry and abusive man, she heard it everywhere. She was too cocky in the thought of her possibly being able to change him. She thought she had the power to make him calm himself. Boy was she wrong. "Grimmjow, you have a girlfriend right?"

Grimmjow kept starring out the window as the snow fell down on the other side. "I know it isn't any of my business but… what would you do if she went behind your back like you do to her?" His face heated up in anger as those words left her mouth. "She would never do that to me. She loves me too much."

The blonde relaxed herself, "Does that mean you love her less?" Grimmjow's head snapped towards her direction. "No, it doesn't. I love her more than she'll ever know." The blonde was feeling a little risky tonight, it seemed. "Then why do you do this to her?" Grimmjow decided to use the excuse, "I have a problem and she'll never find out."

The blonde laughed a little, "Oh boy, that's a good one. Honey, they _always_ find out." Grimmjow grabbed one of her wrists and got real close to her, his hot breath against her face and he growled at her.

"You know what I'd do…?" He got closer, the blonde stunned in fear, "_I'd kill her…_"

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm very sorry for the slow update, please forgive me! I hope all of you had a great Easter as well! Bye! :)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Senna walked along one of the campus's paths, her short heels clicking with every step. Her arms were wrapped around a chunky school book as she smiled widely. Ichigo was on the same path as Senna, his coat flung over his shoulder as his hand gripped it to stay in place.

His eyes were on the ground, obvious that he was deep in thought. He wasn't exactly excited about going back to school but, he found that he could probably get more inside information about what kind of tactics Grimmjow would have to prepare for their little… argument.

Along the path, Ichigo had not seen any other feet walk past, unless there was and he was really that distracted with his serious thoughts to notice. But he caught a small pair of feet up ahead. They were not moving. Ichigo sighed and stepped to the other side of the path to continue.

The feet showed up again right in front of him. Curious, he lifted his head to see who it was. His face immediately looked pained and stressed to find it was Senna. "Hello, Senna." Ichigo greeted tiredly. Senna looked at him with that devious smile of hers, "Hello, Ichigo. Have you thought about my offer about our date?"

She asked him so calmly; he was feeling a little suspicious about her tone. "Yes, I have. The answer is no and will always be no." Ichigo told her dryly. Her smile never left her face, "Oh, I would say yes if I were you." Her eyes twinkled in amusement as Ichigo's face looked confused.

"I know about you and that girl. And I don't like it one bit." Ichigo's heart beat sped up as his eyebrows furrowed together, "What girl? And why would you even be angry? We're not together anymore, Senna." He told her angrily.

"Rukia, also known as Grimmjow's girlfriend. I could tell him, you know." She said as she paced around him, her eyes never leaving his own. "You wouldn't dare. Plus, he wouldn't believe you. He knows how you are, Senna." Senna lifted her iPhone from her pocket and showed him a picture of the two kissing at the airport.

Ichigo didn't know what to think. '_She's still stalking me…?_' Ichigo tried to snatch her phone but she was too quick. "What the hell, Senna? How did you even find out in the first place?!" Senna tried to look at him innocently, "Well, when you broke my heart, you seemed so grumpy. I'm guessing it's because you missed me so much."

Ichigo rolled his eyes from the last comment as she continued to explain, "And then all of a sudden, you were happy again. More than I have ever seen you. So, I followed you to see what was making you so happy. And it was a girl. I wasn't okay with that, Ichii."

Ichigo didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to expect from this girl. "What do you want?" He asked rudely. "Oh… just for you to date me while she moves here." Ichigo snorted, "Are you kidding me?" Senna nodded, "And you can't tell her. If you do, I'll know… I have my ways."

Ichigo pushed passed her, his facial expression pissed beyond belief. "I'll take that as a yes!" Senna yelled towards him, smiling victoriously as she saw him lift a hand, closing every finger but his middle.

Ichigo was furious. Constant negative thoughts raced through his mind, '_Shit, I can't tell her ANYTHING! I wouldn't doubt if she had cameras and recording devices all over my apartment._' Ichigo fiddled with his pencil as he stared at the teacher blankly.

'_I'm still going to talk to her on the computer and such but… Jesus, why did I even date Senna? Was I really that desperate? She's not even my type!_' Grimmjow looked over at Ichigo; he noticed he was deep in thought.

'What the hell are we going to do when she actually moves here? She's going to be spending most of her time with Grimmjow. He's still her boyfriend after all… And if she suddenly started going missing with me, he would get suspicious.'

Ichigo's pencil snapped in half. He was lucky nobody noticed the loud noise. '_When should I tell him? I'd rather him hear from me than a psycho ex girlfriend. Why would she even do this? I understand that she has feelings for me but it isn't love. It's the idea of being with me. It's obsession._'

Grimmjow was tempted to lean over to Ichigo to ask what was up but the teachers eyes were on the both of them. '_What if he learns the hard way? What if I get my ass beat? Would he hurt Rukia? He wouldn't dare…_' Ichigo let it go and decided to focus on the teacher. If he stressed more about this, he'd probably fail miserably.

_..!.._

Later at lunch, all the guys decided to eat at the courtyard while the girls went off shopping at a popular brand name store that had a sale for only 2 hours. They didn't mind, though. A break from the girls was always nice. Ichigo, Renji, Chad, Ishida and Toshiro all sat at one bench as they talked and ate their meals.

Grimmjow was nearby with a young brunette, cuddling up against a tree as they kissed. Before, Ichigo didn't mind as much when Grimmjow pulled that kind of crap. Now that he actually had feelings for Rukia, he couldn't help but get angry. He already promised himself that he wouldn't focus on it at school.

So, he kept to himself and tried not to look that way again. Renji looked at Grimmjow and then back at Ichigo, "So, any luck with a plan?" Renji kept his voice low, just in case. Ichigo looked down at his sandwich that he didn't really want to eat. "Not really… I have Senna on my god damn ass, though."

Ishida looked at him curiously, "That tiny little thing has you wrapped around her finger again? How did you let it come to that?" Ichigo laughed shortly, "It's not really my fault. She saw that I was happy again and was curious to why. And you all know her, she's a little on the obsessive creepy side."

Ichigo waved a fly away before it landed on his food, "She stalked me and saw that I was seeing a girl. I have no idea what she's done but apparently she knows every word I say to Rukia." Chad sat there with a blank face as always, not really knowing what advice to give him.

"She has your entire apartment covered in devices then, I'm guessing." Ichigo nodded at Chad, "Yeah, she does. And if we even dare to remove any of them, she'll know and she'll tell Grimmjow what's going on."

Toshiro folded his arms across his chest and responded, his eyes lowering, "So what? Grimmjow wouldn't believe anything that devious little twerp would say." Ichigo laughed again, "You think that but she has proof. I'm pretty sure her phone is covered and stocked up with pictures of Rukia and I. There isn't anything I can do about it."

Ishida pushed his glasses back up, "We might be able to manage to take her phone. I'm pretty sure we all have at least one class with her." Ichigo nodded but responded back with, "But what if has evidence on other devices? An external hard drive, her computer and laptop, maybe another phone, etc..."

Everyone sighed at once. "There isn't much we can do. What exactly does she want?" Renji asked Ichigo. "She wants to date me while Rukia moves here. I'm guessing she wants to make Rukia jealous, have her hate me forever and somehow victoriously obtain me back as her lover."

Renji scoffed, "As if. Hey, it's nice to get attention every once in awhile but not from some mentally challenged hyperactive maniac ex girlfriend." Ichigo sighed again, having an effect on Renji's emotions about the whole ordeal, "Why not just tell Grimmjow now?"

Ichigo looked at him in disbelieve, "Yeah, because that'll solve everything." Renji shrugged, "It might. Why not try it?" Ichigo shook his head, "Why not? What are you so afraid of? I'm pretty sure you could put up a good fight." Ichigo straight at him, "I'm not afraid of what would happen to me, I'm afraid for Rukia."

Renji raised an eyebrow, "Why would you be worried about her? Are you afraid he'd hurt her? She's 3,000 miles away, Ichigo. Do the math." Ichigo warned him about his voice being heard, "Renji, this guy has crazy anger issues. It doesn't matter that she's 3,000 miles away. He would find her. And he would hurt her. I know he would."

Renji shrugged and looked at him with honest eyes, "Dude, you need to tell him soon. If you don't, he's going to find out the hard way. Then you have no chance against a painfully inflamed man that just lost his entire world to his _best friend_." Ichigo looked at Grimmjow one last time before leaving to his next class, wondering what he should do.

_..!.._

The next couple of weeks flew by like a breeze. It was freezing cold in Rukia's area and she didn't like it one bit. She did prefer it over the heat, though. Rukia was in the library of her university, studying for an important test for her English class. She was the type of person that had to re-read everything if any noise distracted her.

It was quite frustrating for her so that's why she decided to study in a quieter place. She wishes it were true that all libraries were noise resistant but this one at this moment was not. Her eyes were dead locked on her book, moving back and forth as her brain fed off of the information.

A tall and dark haired man walked over to the shelf behind her chair, grabbing a book and flipping it open to find something. Seconds passed when he finally found what he was looking for, "Yes! I was right all along!" He yelled excitedly. Rukia's face scrunched up angrily.

She slowly stood up and turned around to face the man whose back was facing her front. "Excuse me, sir. But this is a library. People are studying hard for stupid exams that they shouldn't have to take. Can you please shut that mouth of yours?" She asked as kind as she could, a ton of sarcasm hinting in every sentence.

He turned around and she was shocked. '_Ichigo…? No, he isn't Ichigo… But he looks just…like him_.' He grinned down at her, "Hey, kid. Don't you have nap time right now?" He looked at his watch, "You must be cranky without one."

Rukia's faced flushed in annoyance, "Excuse me? Just because I'm shorter than you, doesn't mean I'm in kindergarten." Then man laughed cheerfully as he pat her head a couple of times. "Of course not. I'll let you get back to your A, B, C's!" Rukia glared at him as he walked away with a huge grin on his face.

She sat back down but couldn't help but stare at him across the room, studying just as she was. '_He looks just like him… And acts a lot like him… Maybe that's why I'm so distracted…_' Rukia shrugged it off and tried her best to keep him out of her mind.

_..!.._

Ichigo didn't feel right talking to Rukia that night. He knew that Senna had some crap devices around his apartment and it gave him a sick feeling. _'Maybe I should just move…_' Ichigo thought. "And then he started treating me like a 5 year old!" Rukia exclaimed over Skype with Ichigo staring off into the distance.

His head snapped back to her, "Huh? I'm sorry, I missed all of that." Rukia frowned, "What's on your mind…? It looks like something is troubling you." Ichigo smiled gently over to her, "Nothing, Rukia. I'm fine, really…" Rukia didn't believe him. But she knew if something was really bothering him, he would tell her when the time was right.

"Fine, I'll leave it alone for now. But you have to tell me eventually." Ichigo smiled sadly at the thought of Rukia knowing exactly what was going on with him. They had gotten so much closer and knew each other's emotions.

It was amazing to him because he thought he hid them well. "I don't know what you're talking about, Crazy." Ichigo replied. She decided to let it go. They continued talking like usual, Ichigo still feeling a bit tense. Seeing her, however, relaxed him a lot more than he thought it would.

When they both went off to bed, Ichigo lied there wide awake, trying to think of different ways he could get out of this mess, but always ended up at a dead end. Ichigo thought it couldn't possibly get any worse than the way it was right then and there. '_Let's just see where my luck takes me…_' was his last thought as he drifted off into a heavy slumber.

_..!.._

By the time it was lunch for Ichigo, Rukia was done with her classes for the day. She wanted to do her homework at the library like she did every day. She wasn't exactly excited, given the fact that she had a ton of stuff to work on. Rukia walked into the huge library and searched for her favorite table briefly.

She was confused and a bit angry when she found that rude guy she had met the other day, sitting at it. She walked over to the table calmly and sat down; the books hitting the table catching his attention.

"Hey lady, I'm saving those seats for some friends of mine. If you don't mind, could you please make your way to the kids section? They have plenty of colorful tables in your size." He smirked when he noticed he did some damage to her. He frowned afterwards when she didn't look up from her book, acting as if his insult only lasted for a second.

"You have friends?" She asked sarcastically. His smirked reappeared, "Yes, I do. I know that's surprising, but I do." Rukia suddenly melted, 'His smile is just like Ichigo's...' She shook her head and growled at him, "Well, I've been sitting here for the past 2 and a half years. I'm not going to give it up for some pompous ass."

The man rose his eyebrows, "Whooaaah, we got a diva over here everyone!" He said out loud receiving some laughter and some hushes. He held out a hand to Rukia and said, "The name is Kaien. Kaien Shiba. And I would like to sit here with you. If you wouldn't mind, _Princess_."

Rukia looked at his hand suspiciously looking for any type of joking device like a hand buzzer. '_Oh, what the hell. I have no friends here anyways, might as well make one before I leave._' She thought. She shook his hand before she realized what she had gotten herself into. "Rukia Kuchiki."

_..!.._

The heavy rain poured down onto Ichigo. He wiggled his nose from a raindrop uncomfortably falling on it and made his way to his favorite café. He removed one of his hands from his pocket and opened the door, the bell ringing loudly as he approached the inside.

He looked over to his left and saw Grimmjow sitting there, waiting for Ichigo. Ichigo had asked Grimmjow to have a talk with him about some personal things. He had run through different things he could say and ways to defend himself if need be.

Also to make sure he didn't give out too much information about him and Rukia and their secret relationship that they held against Grimmjow. He wasn't ready for a fight, not here and not now. His coat was drenched so he took it off and gave it to Ayame; she gladly took care of it.

She left the room and into the back where her office was. She did want to hear what was going on but didn't want to be in the room. She had a way to listen in, though. Ichigo let out a long sigh as he sat down next to him. Grimmjow seemed deep in thought and that scared Ichigo.

Things were already deep and he didn't even speak yet. "Hey, man." Ichigo greeted him, Grimmjow nodding in return. "What up? I'm a little worried about you. This was out of nowhere." Grimmjow casually asked him. Ichigo felt guilty when Grimmjow showed some affection and worry for him.

Especially because of the way things were at the moment. "I just wanted to talk to you; you seem a little out of the loop lately. Is there anything you would like to talk about?" Ichigo asked him, turning the worried attention over to Grimmjow.

Grimmjow sat still and moved his eyes back and forth every now and then, clear that he was trying to think of what to say and how to word it for understanding. "I'm completely and utterly disappointed in myself. I don't know what to do and I don't know where to turn for help."

Ichigo listened closely and calmly, "I can blame all of this on my parents. Most of the blame would be on my father. He had no right to touch my mother that way. He accused her of her cheating on him when she never laid a finger on another man in her life." Grimmjow smiled sadly.

"I think he was just trying to find a way to blame his mistakes on my mother so it would seem like he was being faithful." Ichigo waited awhile after Grimmjow stayed silent for a minute. "Grimm, it's understandable to blame your actions on your parents. But they are the root of the problem. Maybe you need to forgive them before you can forgive yourself."

Grimmjow thought deeply about that last comment, "Your parents are not in control of what you do and how you act now. Their influence vanished once you left that house and decided to take control of your life. Take the initiative and become the man you want to be. It's a choice; you are not imprisoned by your father's ways anymore." Grimmjow laughed thankfully and lightly punched Ichigo in the shoulder.

"You always know what to say. No wonder you want to be a lawyer." Ichigo always had that determined motivation to make people listen from his point of view. He was so determined about the right things to do in life. It was funny to Ichigo because what he was doing was completely against his beliefs.

Yet, it still felt… right. "Hey, I want to ask you something personal." Ichigo asked calmly and with a low tone. Grimmjow nodded, "I'm listening." Ichigo shifted in his seat uncomfortably and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked at the floor and then back to Grimmjow, "I understand your urges. I understand that there are millions of gorgeous woman on this planet. But… why Rukia? She's… beautiful, smart, outgoing, funny, charming, generous…"

Grimmjow looked at him funny and Ichigo realized what he was saying, "U-Uhm at least from what you've told us… and what it seems like… Anyways… why her? You have everything you could ever want in a woman that any man would appreciate for the rest of his life. Why would you hurt the perfect woman like this?"

Grimmjow was quiet for a minute. "I do not know. I don't know if it's something that I can control or if… it's something that's meant to happen. I try so hard… You have no idea. I love that woman with everything of me. And I question myself everyday of why I even bother screwin around with these useless whores that don't mean anything to me."

Ichigo was glad he wasn't going through such a bad stage as Grimmjow. "What… would you do if… she were to fall in love with another man…? What if he didn't do what you do to her and actually… made her happy…? No offense…" Grimmjow laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, looking up.

"I don't know what I am capable of and that scares the living shit out of me. If I were to find out something like that at that moment… that would be the moment where I would need to learn to force myself to control what I do. I would want to rip the guy into shreds… I would be heartbroken by her… But I honestly don't' know if I would touch her."

Grimmjow looked back down at his hands. "I don't know what I'm capable of, Ichigo… And I don't want to spill any blood… but when I get to that state of anger…. There's no telling what I could do." Ichigo sat there in fear. Now that he knew what Grimmjow could possibly do, there's no way in hell he'd let Rukia suffer through that.

_..!.._

Ichigo played with his pencil with one of his fingers during his English class. He had bags under his eyes, his hair was a lot messier than usual and his clothes were wrinkly all over the place; he looked like a wreck.

_'You need to sit down one day and view that situation that I just described to you in a mature manner. Wouldn't you want Rukia to be happy? Even if that meant the one making her happy was not you? Wouldn't she be better off while you go and try to find help?' Grimmjow knew everything Ichigo was saying was true. But he couldn't get the fantasy thought of him suddenly getting better and making Rukia the happiest woman alive out of his head. It was too difficult for him. He suddenly just let loose and seriously thought about it. 'Yes… I would want her to be happy. That's all I want… is for her to smile. And if that does mean I'm not the one making her smile… then I guess I wasn't right for her all along…'_

Ichigo didn't mean to make Grimmjow depressed with those horrible thoughts but he needed to know if Grimmjow was actually capable of letting her go. Because if he knew he had at least a 50% of that happening, he would be okay with telling him. He stayed up that entire night, thinking of ways he could protect Rukia.

He thought of her pretending to stay with Momo but really having her own place and not telling Grimmjow where that was. So if he did tell Grimmjow, he would want her to hide and be somewhere safe. Somewhere he couldn't find her. Ichigo wasn't afraid of a fight. No, not at all.

Ichigo was strong and Rukia made him stronger. He would take all the punches for her without a second thought. Ichigo groaned silently when he realized he had completely forgotten all about Senna. '_She's going to get in the way…_' Ichigo thought with anger. He had no clue what to do about her.

He would just have to think of how to beat her at her own game. 'But how?' Nothing else could have confused him more at that moment. He knew she was a huge threat and a huge gap in the way of his happiness. '_Maybe I could talk to her…? Maybe…_' Ichigo didn't give up on the thought when class had finished. He would stay up for days and days until he figured out how to make Rukia safe.

_..!.._

Senna sat against a tall willow tree in the courtyard with a friend of hers, Sessy. She had only known her since freshman year of college but they turned out to become really close friends. Senna trusted her with her plot against Rukia to claim Ichigo back.

"I know I shouldn't say this but… having cameras all over his apartment is kind of… over board." Sessy was the innocent type. Which is exactly why they got along; they were opposites. But Senna knew Sessy would never tell a soul about this; she was too afraid.

Senna laughed at Sessy's comment, "I only have one camera and it's outside his apartment. I couldn't get into his apartment at all, it was impossible even for my level. I just wanted it to seem like I do. You have to play with the deck you have, Sessy. Always remember that."

Sessy nodded but didn't agree, she never agreed with Senna. She thought what she was doing was horrid and wrong. But would she tell her that? No way. She was afraid of what Senna could do to her if she were to be honest. "But… he's so happy. I have not seen him so happy before. If you really love him, shouldn't you let it go? There are so many other guys that you could be with, Senna…"

Senna huffed, "Nobody is perfect like Ichigo. I will never get anyone as good as him. I have to do what I have to do to get him back into my life. Rukia doesn't deserve him. Plus, Ichigo doesn't like two timing whores." Sessy squinted at the insult. Her friendship with Senna used to be important to her.

That was until she turned into some obsessed girlfriend who couldn't leave Ichigo's side for one second. She was mortified with what she did to Orihime. Orihime was her friend as well. And she lost her as a friend because of Senna. Orihime had thought Sessy was in the act of her hair loss.

She was too afraid to deny it so it was just left at that. She looked over at Senna who was plucking petals off of daisies, singing "He loves me… he loves me not… he loves me… he loves me not…" Sessy felt like if she didn't remove herself from Senna soon, that she wouldn't be able to remove herself at all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Rukia sat silently in her Math class, her teacher's voice distant from her ears and mind. Her eyes were starring out at the window, watching the clouds moving slowly across the sky. She was deep in thought about Kaien. '_Maybe I wouldn't have to move… Kaien looks just like him, besides his hair and eye color… And I wouldn't have to deal with Grimmjow…_'

Rukia wanted to kick herself so badly; she knew she was being an idiot. '_When I'm in sticky situations like this… I always tend to think of different ways to approach things even if it isn't what would make me happy… It is being selfish, though… I would hurt so many people if I were to do that as well… Including myself…_'

It always brought a smile to Rukia's face whenever she thought of starting a new life with Ichigo; freely being able to live with him and to even go outside into public without feeling like Grimmjow might come around the corner. To her, it felt like she was 16 again; sneaking late out at night because she knew her parents wouldn't approve and keep her locked in the house.

After Rukia started realizing the kind of man Grimmjow really was, the smile of her thoughts about him had faded. She just imagined pain and agony. '_What kind of life is that…? I'm in control of this… And I want to be happy. Even if that means someone is left unhappy…_'

Rukia thought Grimmjow had done enough damage to her happiness anyways. She wasn't out to get revenge, not at all. She just knew that life worked in that way a lot of the times. You want to be happy, well, someone out there is going to be unhappy with your decisions.

It's never a win, win situation with happiness, but you have to pick and choose your battles and take whatever you can get. Rukia let herself sink deeper into the thought of Ichigo. She could have sat there for hours and not even know if class over yet. In fact, that had happen to her just then.

Her thoughts led to a vision of two small children running around a beautiful garden, huge grins across their faces as they played tag. One was a small boy, orange spiky hair just like Ichigo's; his eyes purple instead of Ichigo's honey browned ones.

The other was a girl, younger and had long black hair, her eyes just like her father's. Pretty much the opposite but resembled them both. She pictured her and Ichigo on the grass, Ichigo behind her as she leaned her back against his chest. They both smiled in happiness as they watched their children play.

Rukia snapped out of her daydream, realizing that she stayed 5 minutes later. The room was completely empty, her teacher looking up to smile and shake his head. She smiled back and left the room, afraid she would do the same with her other classes that day.

Ichigo dialed Rukia's number on his phone as he walked out of his class. She picked up after the second ring and cheerfully greeted him. "Hey, Rukia. How was Math?" He asked, hearing her sigh on the other end, "Can you get out of my daydreams? You made me stay 5 minutes after class."

Ichigo smiled widely, "Aahh, you were thinking about me, were you? Nothing X rated, right?" Rukia laughed at his stupid question, "No, idiot. I was just… thinking about the future." Ichigo loved hearing her talk about her future with him; it made him realize that she was in this for the long run.

"Have you thought about where you want to stay…? You have about two weeks before you move here." Ichigo was excited yet had horrible feelings in his stomach. "Yes, I've been looking at some places and I think I found one that looks pretty cozy."

Ichigo was relieved, "Okay, great! So it's an okay distance from school and home?" He asked her, hoping it was. "Yep! And it's close to you!" Ichigo was happy to hear that. "Alright well, don't stalk me too much… I already have someone doing that." Ichigo mumbled that last part quiet enough so Rukia couldn't hear him.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks when he found Senna over at the courtyard, sitting on a bench alone. "Hey, I'll call you later, alright?" Ichigo didn't want to seem rude, and he didn't sound rude, he just needed to go quickly. "Oh, okay. Have a good day, alright? I love you."

Ichigo told her he loved her as well with a smile. He hung up and walked over to Senna. He noticed she was sitting there with her iPad, going through pictures of her family. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him. "Oh, it's you. Hi, what do you want?" She asked with no tone. "May I talk to you?"

Senna nodded and Ichigo took a seat across from her. Senna put away her iPad and looked up at Ichigo, waiting for him to speak. Ichigo sat silently, thinking of what to say first. "Senna… In the beginning of our relationship, I was happy. You were amazing to me. You didn't have any boundaries with me and allowed me to do as I pleased without getting jealous and upset."

Senna sat there with a blank face still. "But once you started to notice that other woman liked me, you couldn't stand it. And that's what you had a problem with; trust. I never did anything to make you not trust me. I didn't flirt with anyone else, look at anyone else and thought about anyone else but you. If I did any of those things, Senna, I could understand why you would turn that way. But, I didn't."

Senna's eyes softened. She was glad Ichigo had finally had the courage to talk to her about these things. They had never got any closure on their break up. "You hurt me, my friends and my family with the things you did. We really thought you needed some help… We didn't want to go and tattle tale on you to authorities because we wanted you to seek professional help. But you can't just go and tell someone that without being scared that they'd do something irrational."

Ichigo sighed and grabbed one of Senna's hands with his own, looking deeply into her eyes, "I really did care for you, Senna. I want you to know that. But when you hurt someone like that, feelings can change. I still care for you, I do. And you getting in the way of what really makes me happy is not going to make me get any closer with you."

Her small hand shook in his as he stared at her. He was worried that she wasn't even listening because of the physical gesture Ichigo had made. "I'm sorry for everything that I've done in our relationship that upset you. I should have done so many things differently. And I hope you can forgive me, Senna."

Ichigo sighed again after 5 minutes of Senna not saying a word. He got up and left, turning back to see her not moving a muscle still.

_..!.._

Rukia came home from the store, throwing the last pile of cardboard boxes in the middle of her living room. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and looked around at her apartment. She had organized everything already, all that was left to do was to actually pack the crap and send it off.

It was hell for her especially because she had finals that Monday. '_It's worth it, though…_' she thought to herself after she imagined Ichigo standing in front of her. Rukia started wrapping her breakables in newspaper when Grimmjow called her. She picked up, squeezing her phone between her neck and ear as she continued wrapping.

"Hello?" She asked, "Hey Rukia. What are you doing?" Grimmjow asked her, his voice soft and gentle. It was odd hearing that side from him again. "Hey you… I'm just packing my things… How about you…?" Grimmjow smiled on the other end, he was so happy she was finally moving to his area. He didn't know if he could keep up with long distance any longer.

"Talking to you, silly… I miss you, you know." Rukia's heart dropped, "I miss you…too. But I'll see you soon." Rukia said to him, "Yeah, I know. I was wondering if we could do something when you get here. I'll pick you up from the airport and we can get a bite to eat." Rukia was extremely surprised.

It had been a long, long time since she's heard that. She was wondering what was going on with him. "Uhm… really? I can't remember the last time you did that for me…" Grimmjow yet again felt disappointed in himself. "Yeah… I'm sorry about that. Things always came up and I should have just… forgot about them and focused on you."

Rukia smiled sadly. "It's alright. I forgive you, I always do." Grimmjow and Rukia kept talking after that, mostly about school and finals. They didn't really have time to catch up with things. Rukia wanted to distance herself from him as much as possible. She wondered if he had changed at all.

She wanted him back to the way he was when they first met. He was so interested in her and the things she liked and disliked. Whenever they spoke, his eyes would be dead on her, nothing else. Now whenever they see each other and talk (even on the phone), Grimmjow is always messing with something.

Mostly his cell phone and that scared her. There were times where she wanted to pick it up and go through it while he was away but she knew that would be invading his privacy and thought it was best not to know what was going on. She would have rather him confess if there was anything going on anyways.

"Grimmjow… I'm a little… scared." She confessed to him. "Scared…? About what?" He asked her, concerned. "Uhm… I just think that maybe… you're hiding something from me?" She let that last sentence out quickly. She had always wanted to talk seriously about this with him.

Whenever she tried to, he would change the subject way too quickly. Now that he starting acting like he used to, she thought she might give it another go. "Hiding something from you? Like what?" Grimmjow tried to sound as sweet and innocent as possible without over doing it.

He knew he was in a shit spot and didn't know how to get out of it. "I think you're cheating on me." Rukia said bluntly. Grimmjow knew she wouldn't play his 'dads card' and blame things on him when she was really doing the cheating. '_That's impossible… It's not even possible for Rukia to do such a thing…_'

Grimmjow tried to play this cool. "I can understand why you'd think that…" Rukia stared blankly at the floor. "Are… you…?" She gave him a minute to respond, he still said nothing. Rukia's heart sped up, her eyes moving back and forth quickly. She felt like time had stopped.

'_Maybe he's just thinking of what to say… He wouldn't do that to me… he wouldn't… would he?_' Grimmjow finally spoke, "Rukia, I fell in love with you for a lot of reasons. And all of those reasons are nothing but what makes you such an amazing person. I could never find another girl like that in my life. Why would I do such a thing to the most unselfish and lovable human being on this earth? Hmm?"

Rukia smiled slowly. Grimmjow always knew what to say when she doubted things. She knew that she still loved him. She knew Ichigo knew and understood. She cared for Grimmjow so much and it would mean a lot if he actually stayed faithful in their relationship. But sadly if that were the case, she would feel a million times worse for falling in love with one of his closest friends.

When Grimmjow finished their call, he laid his head against the wall as he sat on the floor, his back pressing against the wall as well. His head tilted down to his hand, a picture in its grasp. It was of him and Rukia at the Carnival on their second date.

'_She looks so happy…_' His thumb rubbed against her face as he thought of how horrible it would feel if that smile ever left her lips. '_I have to tell her sooner or later…_' Grimmjow didn't want to tell her. He wished he could just get away with it. He wishes he could just quite what he was doing and immediately get better.

'_Then we would be happy… and that smile would never leave her…_' He had so many doubts once people started asking about the possibility of Rukia finding another. He knew he had to start being a man and do what was best for the both of them. His father never left a good impression and influence whenever he'd leave the house.

His mother knew where he was going every night. Hell, he and sister did as well. They never dared to say anything, though. Their mother took that role, always getting slapped and kicked to the floor when she confronted him. His father never cared that they were in the same room.

In fact, he told them it was good to let them see a woman getting put in her place. Things didn't start getting bad for him until he turned 10. Before that, everything was perfect. They had a home, a dog, they never had to worry about money, their parents got a long and he had a baby sister. Life was great.

Then one day when his sister and himself arrived back home from camp, his parents started fighting. It happened out of nowhere. And whenever it did, Grimmjow's body would freeze; he had never been in that kind of situation before. Of course, it started getting worse along the years. Things got a lot more physical.

That's when Grimmjow would immediately take his sister and go into their room that they shared. He held her tightly as she cried, asking why they were fighting. He didn't know why until he hit an age where he could understand. For a long time, he was depressed. All he wanted was his mother and sister to be happy.

Luckily, he did everything he could to get his sister out of that house and into a college, far, far away from that place. He was at least proud of that. Drugs and alcohol were a huge part of his life and he never let his sister see him do it.

He would always leave the house with a bunch of strangers he only knew for getting high and knocked out by drinking. He wanted to forget everything at home and never deal with his father. He did try to protect his mother. He was never strong enough, though.

He always thought that the reason why his father kept doing what he did was because he never did seek help. Grimmjow wasn't going to let that happen to him. He never thought it would get to a point such as that. He wanted so much for his life, so much for his family.

He wanted to be happy and give his kids what he never had. A healthy home and a loving family is what he wanted most. Everything else would come second and third. He was afraid that he wouldn't get what he wanted until he did seek help. He still didn't admit it to himself that he had a huge problem.

He didn't want to think of himself in that way. Grimmjow then promised himself that he would try his best to stay faithful once Rukia moved. '_Can I even get through this last week without doing that…?_' Grimmjow thought he might as well practice now. He could only pray that things would go well.

_..!.._

Momo and Ichigo walked into Rukia's new apartment together while Toshiro and the other guys unpacked the moving truck. Ichigo was so happy Rukia found a house to rent instead of an apartment. It was nice and cozy just like she said. She already had a huge garden right in the front of her house.

'_Let's see if that Midget ends up killing everything with that forgetful mind of hers._' He laughed at the thought of her being a teacher. He began helping the other with the boxes, placing them in the right rooms. He was going to have Yuzu come over later and set up everything for her.

Rukia didn't know this and she would kill both of them for it. He didn't care though; he didn't want her to have to do anything. He knew what moving was like and it wasn't very fun. Everyone decided to go out for pizza after they were done moving things into Rukia's home.

Momo sat down on the expensive white couch that Byakuya had sent over for them to put in along with another handful of overly expensive and hand crafted furniture he bought for her for a surprise. He wasn't too thrilled about it, especially when he found out that they had to replace her refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, bath tub, toilet, sink and everything else you can think of.

He was relieved that he sent more help for them, though. '_That little brat is a lucky, lucky girl…_' Ichigo smiled as he sat down to rest right next to Momo. '_I better make the guys and Momo brag to her about this… That'll give me big brownie points…' _Ichigo looked over at Momo and smiled at her, "Are you tired yet?" Momo laughed, "Just a little!"

He frowned when she went back to being deep in thought. "Something you want to talk about? I don't want to bug you but you seem… distant." Ichigo thought of Momo as a little sister. She was much like Yuzu but was strong like Karin. She was like the middle sister that he never had.

"I've been wanting to talk to you ever since I found out about you and Rukia." Ichigo was surprised and curious about what. "Alright, go ahead and feel free to ask and talk to me about anything." He sat up comfortably and looked over at her.

"I… I remember when you used to be like Grimmjow… I don't know if you've ever abused a woman like he has but… I remember you being… a womanizer. I would notice you staring at other woman constantly and trying to get their attention."

Ichigo knew what she was talking about. When he first started college, he was an eager little hormonal horny bastard. He thought college was meant for experiences and sex. Boy was he wrong. He then soon figured out that college wasn't about that at all. It was about finding yourself and finding what you wanted to do in life.

"And you're scared of me still being this way?" Momo nodded when Ichigo asked her that question. "Of course I am. I could never talk this way with Grimmjow. I wanted to so badly but Toshiro always told me it was a bad idea. But I feel like I'm stabbing her in the back with not telling her anything."

Ichigo rubbed Momo's back as she spoke with stress. "I know, Momo. But these things take time and for this certain situation, Grimmjow has to tell her. She cannot find out through another source. It would ruin things for a lot of people." Her eyes were far from his, lost in thought.

"No, I'm not that way anymore, Momo. You should know this. Once I broke up with Senna, I kind of just lost hope with love. I never loved Senna but… I didn't want to bother falling in love. I thought it would take away my freedom and I would somehow lose myself along the way. But I only thought that because I expected the worst and only heard of bad stories from people I shouldn't exactly take advice from."

Momo finally looked at him and nodded. "Rukia changed me for the better. She showed me that it wasn't that way at all. She gave me faith in love. Grimmjow isn't a bad person… he has a good heart just like most people. But he needs help and as friends, I think we need to tell him that."

Momo felt better about Ichigo being with Rukia. She knew he was a good guy and would take care of her. She was just worrying too much like usual. "I know you worry for Rukia. As a best friend, I would question you if you didn't. But Rukia will be fine, you'll see."

For awhile she didn't feel like her normal self because of it. Ichigo hugged Momo tightly and kissed her head, "Don't start blaming yourself for anything, hear me?" Momo laughed lightly and nodded, hugging him back. It was a good day for Ichigo and the others. He decided to be a nice guy and pay for everyone's dinner.

Not only because they helped but because they kept this whole thing away from Grimmjow. The last thing Ichigo wanted was for Grimmjow to know exactly where Rukia was staying.

Ichigo was exhausted when he got home. He had to call Rukia, though. She was what kept him leveled and sane with everything going on. He turned on his laptop and signed in. He got ready for bed while it started up, giving it a little to load up. Once he was done he called her on Skype, smiling widely when he saw her on his screen.

"You're so adorable when you're tired." He said to her. Her hair was a complete mess, she had bags under her eyes and was in her white Chappy pajamas. "Hey, unlike you I have work to do." Ichigo threw his head back and laughed, "Oh boy, you're cranky tonight. Listen, _Princess_, I just spent hours carrying your stupid junk into your house. Don't tell me I don't have any work to do. And my finals are just as hard as yours."

Rukia glared at him cutely as he laughed at her again. "Thank you for that, Ichigo. It means a lot to me." Ichigo's smile turned softer as she spoke in a calm manner. "You're welcome, Midget." Rukia decided to get a little more serious with the conversation. "I talked to Grimmjow today. He called me, actually."

Ichigo nodded and felt a hint of jealousy. '_Why am I jealous…?_' Ichigo knew she still had feelings for him. He was just hoping that she still wasn't in love with him. He thought he took care of that once she fell for him. '_Maybe she's just worried about him…_'

He pushed the thought aside and replied to her, "Oh? What did you guys talk about?" Rukia fiddled with the string on her pajama pants. "He seemed very different… like he used to be; sweet and interested in me. He even offered to take me out to eat when I fly in." Now Ichigo _really_ felt jealous.

Everything was going so well between them and Grimmjow would ruin everything if he started acting like the guy she first fell in love with. '_I need to have a little more faith in her… this isn't fair._' Ichigo sighed and looked up at her.

"It's nice that he's treating you better, Rukia. But, you have two men who are completely in love with you… You need to choose one of us… Even though I thought you already chose me…"

Rukia felt horrible, "Ichigo, no! I didn't mean it that way at all! Of course I choose you. I haven't questioned that at all from the very beginning. I was just telling you that he's been acting weird. Did something happen with him?"

Ichigo knew he would tell her this sooner or later. "I talked to him. I asked him what he would do if you found someone else. And that he needs to reevaluate his thinking about that situation because what he originally thought was… not that smart." Rukia suddenly felt worried.

"He probably just realizes that he needs to be a little better to you if he has the thought of losing you in his head." Rukia understood what had happened now. She understood why Grimmjow was acting the way he did. She fell in love with him for so many reasons as well. And seeing that side of him again was scary.

Scary because she didn't know if she'd fall for him all over again. '_No… I can't fall for that trap again… I won't allow myself to sink that low… Ichigo is all I need._' The difference between Rukia and Grimmjow? She actually kept her word.

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys! First I want to give a shout out to all the new people who have favorited and became a fan of this story! I'm so happy you guys enjoy it! Hopefully you'll stay to the end! :)_


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Rukia walked into her college front office to confirm her transfer. There were 2 women at the front desk, one already talking to a tall, dark haired male. She couldn't tell who it was. The other woman looked at Rukia and smiled, "I can help you here, Miss!" Rukia nodded and walked up to her, giving her some papers.

"Hello, my name is Rukia Kuchiki and I'm here to confirm my transfer to Sachiko University." The woman took a look at her papers and did a couple of things at her computer. "This will just take a moment." She said to Rukia. "Huh, great. I'll be seeing you a lot more often then." The male next to Rukia said.

She turned to see who it was. _'Kaien…_' Rukia replied, "You're transferring there as well…?" Kaien nodded with a grin. "Yup, I've heard it's the best college on the West Coast. Plus I'd like to live there one day officially. So there's no harm in going to college there to start it off." Rukia wasn't exactly excited about his decision.

He was kind of an ass to her. "So what are you going there for, Rukia?" Kaien asked her casually. "My brother and best friend live over there. This college is nice but I don't really have any friends here. It gets a little lonely sometimes." Kaien nodded and said he understood. "Well… hopefully we'll have some classes together…"

He said in an odd way. '_Is he flirting with me…?_' Rukia thought as she observed his tone and body language towards her. She smiled and nodded slightly, looking into his eyes as he smiled back at her. She started getting lost in them, '_Jesus… he looks so much like him…_'

The woman assisting Rukia spoke up, "Alright, Miss Rukia. You're all settled. Just make sure your new University gets all these papers and feel free to call us if you have any problems." Rukia thanked the woman and said goodbye to Kaien.

She turned to leave when he grabbed her arm, "Go out to lunch with me." She looked at him; she saw a hint of desperation and attraction towards her in his eyes. "For what?" She asked dryly. "Just… to get to know each other. Nothing serious, I promise…"

Rukia looked at him suspiciously and sighed. "Okay… but nothing more than that." Kaien smiled happily, "Alright, are you available tomorrow around noon?" Rukia said yes and they both parted ways after discussing the details. '_It's so easy to get lost with that guy when Ichigo isn't around…_'

_..!.._

Rukia and Ichigo didn't really have much time to talk that weekend; they were both studying for their finals. Rukia was happy to have her apartment completely empty but didn't look forward to putting all of that crap away. The thought stressed her like crazy but she tossed away that thought and focused on her work.

After studying for hours, Rukia finally got up to take a break. She went into the kitchen to looks for some food. Rukia barley had anything in her fridge and cursed herself for forgetting to go shopping. She looked at her fruit bowl and saw one apple left inside. She shrugged and grabbed it, stopping before taking a bite when she noticed a picture frame next to the bowl.

It was of her and Grimmjow, smiling widely while they were riding the Ferris wheel. A soft smile formed her lips when she looked at them both. She then couldn't believe how hypocritical she was. Here she was falling in love with his best friend while she complained about Grimmjow staring at other women.

'_Aren't I the one doing what I pray Grimmjow doesn't do…?_' Rukia put herself in Grimmjow's place, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. Her palm rubbed against her forehead, suddenly feeling so stressed. Rukia looked at Grimmjow in the photo again, seeing his smiling face.

She grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed Grimmjow's number, listening to the ringing for a few seconds. "Hey, Rukia. Are you alright? I thought you were studying?" Rukia's heart started pounding widely as she thought of what to say. "I need to tell you something, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow smiled and replied, "Me too! I made reservations to Fodor's." Grimmjow waited for her reply, "The restaurant we met at?" Rukia asked him and Grimmjow said yes, feeling himself smile widely, "But…" Rukia went deep into thought after speaking.

"_Do you ever think about us getting married, Rukia?" Grimmjow asked her softly. They were at the beach that day, watching the sun go down together like they did every weekend she stayed there. Butterflies formed in Rukia's stomach. They had been together for years already and she did think about it. _

_But for Rukia, it wasn't something she was ready for; she still felt like a kid. But the thought of it was exhilarating. She was never the girl to think about the details; just the idea of it was enough for her. "Yes, I have…" She answered shyly. He grinned widely and grabbed her hand, "Me too. Do you know where I'd do it?" _

_She shook her head. She had a couple of ideas in her head but she couldn't really think clearly. "I'd propose to you at the place we first met at. Do you remember? We went on a double date with Toshiro and Momo to Fodor's." Rukia did remember. It was one of the best nights of her life. It's where she met him, of course it was special. _

_"And then you'd say yes…" Grimmjow looked deeply into her eyes, squeezing her hand tighter as he face moved closer to hers. Rukia believe at that moment, if he asked her then, she would have said yes. _

"Remember, I have to book months in advance so we won't be going for awhile. At least I got a spot though, right?" Rukia felt worse as Grimmjow continued to talk. Here she was trying to tell him she was cheating on him and now he's about to propose to her. "What made you want to do that...?" She asked him curiously.

"I… just have some plans in mind… plans that we've talked about before." Rukia was positive he was going to propose at that restaurant now. There was no way she'd tell him then. She had to tell him soon, though. And she didn't know if she should tell Ichigo about all of this. '_No, I have to tell him._'

She didn't want to ruin her relationship with Ichigo by lying like she did with Grimmjow. In fact, she called Ichigo immediately after she hung up with Grimmjow. "Hey, I know you're studying but I need to speak with you." Ichigo looked confused over Skype. "What is it?"

Rukia took a deep breath and spoke, "I think Grimmjow is going to propose to me in a couple of months." Ichigo was in shock, "_What?!_" Rukia's eyes squinted in pain when his yell reached her ears. "Ichigo, calm down!" Ichigo laughed on the other end.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to do that when your _boyfriend_ is going to propose to you? This just makes things worse, Rukia. You have to understand why I'm upset." Rukia frowned and felt horrible. She didn't want any of this to happen. To her, it just seemed like he was about to blame everything on her.

"We have to tell him before that, Rukia. We have to." Ichigo searched her eyes with his own. "I know, I know. And we will. Let's just focus on our finals right now and me settling into my new home. I don't want things to get too crazy too fast." Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright, Rukia."

They both talked for a few more minutes and parted ways for the night. Rukia turned off all of the lights in her apartment when she headed to bed after a long night of studying. She sat up on her bed and looked around her room. Everything was packed and shipped, her apartment empty.

Rukia hated drama so much and at that moment, she wished it was nonexistent just like her uncluttered apartment.

_..!.._

Finals for all of them were a drag. Everyone studied their asses off except for Ishida. Lunch came around and everyone looked as if they hadn't slept in weeks. They were all happy that they agreed on having lunch in the café, though; they_ all _needed coffee. And once again, everyone but Ishida.

He sat there with a small smirk when he looked over at the others, Ichigo, Renji and Orihime with their cheeks to the table, two groaning and one sleeping. The others looked deeply into their textbooks and notes, desperately trying to force their college minds to sink in the material they needed to pass those finals.

'_I can't wait until this day is over…_' Ichigo thought when he lifted his head back up, taking a huge gulp of his coffee. He turned his head and noticed Grimmjow deep in thought. He knew what he was thinking about and it made his stomach turn. It was odd to Ichigo.

He was afraid that his advice to him had worked because he hadn't seen Grimmjow so focused solely on Rukia. That entire day he didn't see Grimmjow look, talk or sexually approach another woman. It was so odd; he didn't know how to wrap his mind around it.

He was hoping that Rukia wouldn't change her mind about them because of it. '_I mean, really… that's all she's wanted, for him to change and give her the attention she needs…_' Ichigo was in for a huge turn around and at that point, he didn't know what to expect.

3 hours before, Rukia had met Kaien at a fancy café around the block from their University. She saw him through the clear glass window, inside and sitting down while talking to himself. '_Why does he seem nervous…_?' She asked herself as she walked in. His head shot up when she came through the door.

He waved at her briefly to get her to notice where he was. She walked over with a small smile, sitting down across from him. "Hey, I didn't order your coffee yet because I don't know what you usually get." Kaien said, still smiling at her. '_What is with this guy? Didn't he hate me just a week ago?_'

Rukia smiled back, "That's alright. Thank you for the thought, though." Kaien nodded, an awkward silence following after. "So- " Rukia cut Kaien off before he could say another word, "Why did you ask me to be here? I thought you disliked me?" Kaien was taken back, not expecting that reaction from her all of a sudden.

"I… It's not that I didn't like you…" Rukia looked at him, confused. "I mean… You know… It's kind of like… when you're in the 4th grade and you like this girl but you don't want her to notice so… you make fun of her… so she doesn't…" Rukia couldn't believe it. '_He… likes me…? Why?_' She was about to reply when her phone rang.

She looked up at him with an apologetic look, "Is it alright if I take this?" Kaien nodded and smiled. "Go ahead! Take your time." Rukia thanked him and went outside to answer the call. "Thank God… Hello?" Rukia asked. "Hey baby. How are you?" It was Grimmjow. '_He never calls me out of nowhere like this… not anymore, at least._'

She really wanted to know what was up with him. "Hey, I'm… uncomfortable." She laughed. "Why? Is there something wrong? Who hurt you?" Rukia laughed again, "Nobody hurt me, Grimmjow! I'm just at lunch with this asshole I met a week ago."

Rukia didn't want it to seem like it was something romantic because to her, it wasn't even close to that. "What?! You're out with a _guy_?!" Rukia sighed, "Stop it. He is just someone that asked me to lunch and I accepted because I was hoping he'd apologize and be a little nicer to me." Grimmjow calmed down a little.

"So… he didn't make a move on you?" Rukia decided to be honest, "Actually, right before you called he attempted to tell me that he had a 4th grade crush on me." She heard Grimmjow laugh on the other end. "Well, I don't like him already. I can't do anything about him, being 3,000 miles away from you. Just make sure to kick him in the right place if he tries anything…"

Rukia smiled at that last part, happy that Grimmjow finally trusted her. After that call, Rukia went back inside and sat down, apologizing to Kaien for leaving so sudden. "It's alright, Rukia. So, what do you think of what I said?"

Kaien was curious about what she thought. He didn't know how she felt for him. He could only hope it was mutual. "I actually have a boyfriend, Kaien. But I'm flattered and a bit confused, honestly." Kaien's heart sank, "I should have known a gorgeous girl like you would have a boyfriend. Too bad he won't be for long."

Rukia scoffed, "Excuse me?" Kaien smirked, "You'll want me eventually." Rukia laughed as if what he said was a joke. "Okay, sure. We'll see about that." Rukia shook her head and left without a word, knowing that she shouldn't have come in the first place.

_..!.._

Everyone was so happy that finals were over. They never wanted to look back at the long, long hours they studied, their eyes trying so hard to stay open and 30 minute naps. It was summer and they were all so relieved. Ichigo was relieved as well. But he couldn't get Grimmjow's behavior off of his mind.

Also the fact that Grimmjow was picking Rukia up right that second. He sighed and went back into Rukia's kitchen, watching Yuzu arrange things on Rukia's counter top. Ichigo brought Yuzu over to Rukia's house for the last 3 days to decorate. He also had the others unpack things so he and Yuzu didn't have to do it alone.

Ichigo offered to pay her but she refused; she said it was a gift for Rukia. She was so ecstatic that Rukia was even moving closer, she didn't care if she had to put in hours of work to please her. She wanted Rukia as comfortable as possible.

Rukia decided to stay at Momo's that night, she didn't want to even think about her empty house that she had to unpack. Plus she didn't want to have Ichigo sneaking by to pick her up and drop her off at her new house. Ichigo was actually planning a Welcome Party for Rukia that following day.

Everyone would come over except Grimmjow. Ichigo was so much on edge nowadays, he felt like he would pop at any moment. The thought of keeping all these things from Grimmjow was maddening to him.

He wanted Grimmjow involved in all of this but he didn't want to risk him knowing her location. Grimmjow was a dangerous man and Ichigo wanted her as safe as possible.

_..!.._

Grimmjow had the perfect place in mind to take Rukia that evening. It was a restaurant right on the beach. The weather was so perfect that day so that made matters better. Rukia and Grimmjow hugged tightly, Grimmjow kissing her lips while she was still tight in his arms.

Rukia didn't want to give anything away so she kissed him back, trying to smile without looking uncomfortable. The ride to the restaurant was oddly nice for Rukia. They joked and laughed like they used to, when they were happy. Grimmjow was always her best friend, she could easily talk to him about anything and he could easily make her feel better.

He even opened the car door and the door to the restaurant for her. He smiled as he did it as well, looking as if it didn't bother him at all. They were assigned to their table and ordered drinks instantly. Rukia was so surprised that Grimmjow chose such a gorgeous restaurant; he never pulled out these kinds of moves.

'_He's really trying to impress me… I wonder why…_' Rukia and Grimmjow talked for awhile, ordering their food and then having to wait some more. "Grimmjow… why are you doing all of this for me? It's been such a long time since you had that state of mind…" Rukia asked him, searching his face to find what kind of emotion was going through him.

"Something happened to me where I realized that I could lose you. I didn't want to believe it for such a long time… but I've been acting like a total asshole. I've been blaming things on my father and his relationship with my mother for so long that I didn't realize that I had the power to control myself. Being around parents that are constantly fighting and screwing around with other people is a horrible environment."

Rukia was happy Grimmjow was realizing that he was his own man; he could make his own decisions without bringing his past into it. He wanted to so badly to tell Rukia that he was cheating on her.

That he had been cheating on her for years now. He couldn't bring himself to do so because he knew she would leave him. He didn't think about the fact that it was very possible for him to turn down that path again. That it had only been a week since he's done anything with anyone. He got so many urges but decided against it.

He had worked so hard and didn't want to come this far just to lose her after so much progress. Rukia felt the same… she wanted to tell him about her and Ichigo for such a long time. She knew what she was doing was wrong.

Before in her mind, she thought that since Grimmjow was already emotionally hurting her that it was alright that she was doing it back, that he deserved it and what she was doing wasn't wrong at all. She didn't put herself in his place and never wanted to think down that path.

She was being selfish and revengeful. She realized that she was doing the exact same thing to him but worse. At that point, Rukia didn't know what to do. She was completely clueless and needed some guidance. '_Ichigo and I really need to sit down soon and figure out when we're going to talk to him… this cannot go on any longer. This is madness._'

She was tired of hurting him. She was tired of stressing out and feeling so tired. She was tired of being tired. The rest of the night went by so smoothly. Grimmjow was such a gentleman to her, complimenting her and asking her if she needed anything.

After they ate and paid for their dinner, Grimmjow took her down to the beach, the sun setting before them. It felt like old times for them as they always went down to the beach on the weekends. Rukia was feeling so lost about her feelings for Grimmjow. She knew before that it wouldn't last.

But now that Grimmjow was trying and changing, she didn't know how to feel.

_..!.._

_Ichigo's POV:_

_The house looked great. People filled Rukia's new home, everyone doing different things. Hell, we even got a Karaoke machine. I cross my fingers that I can get Chad so wasted that he'd agree to do Karaoke with me. Man that would be great. Hilarious too, don't forget that. Momo had left with Toshiro to go "food shopping" an hour before I picked up Rukia. _

_They drove over to Rukia's house to join the party. I don't think I had to tell you that but oh well. This is my mind, deal with it. Anyways, I picked her up and God… she looked so beautiful. I picked her up and swung her around like crazy, kissing her all over her face. I missed her so much. _

_This little brat is the other half of me. How can anyone function correctly without their other half? It's impossible but I made it. We drove back to her house and everyone hid when I texted them how long we would be. Thank God Rukia wasn't suspicious. She usually is. We arrived at the house and everyone was hiding. _

_You should have seen her face; everyone scared the shit out of her. Hahahaha… man… she's even beautiful when she's terrified. What isn't perfect about her? Agh, anyways… She got along with everyone… Who wouldn't love her? She's amazing. She had so much fun with everyone, especially the girls. _

_She fit right into the group just like I had hoped. After awhile, she and I stood near the entrance of her house, kissing each other like there was no tomorrow when we suddenly heard a door swing open roughly. "What the hell is going on?!" Everyone gasped and looked that the front door, Grimmjow's face red with fury, Senna behind him. _

_"Ichigo, you fucking bastard." Grimmjow ran towards me and pushed me against the wall, Rukia running over to my side. He turned to her and smacked her across the cheek so hard that her body flew across the floor. She touched her cheek and found blood. _

_He left me and went over to her, the other guys holding him back. Grimmjow wasn't able to get to her, he yelled at the top of his lungs at her, veins popping out of his forehead. He got loose and ran towards her…_

Ichigo woke up in a sweat, breathing heavily. "Jesus Christ…" He mumbled with what little breath he had left in his lungs. He turned to look at the clock, "7:24AM". He didn't want to go back to sleep with the risk of having another nightmare. He decided to just wake up and get ready for the day.

He had to pick up some coffee before meeting Yuzu and the other girls (Karin and Orihime) at Rukia's house to decorate and move things around. Ichigo thought of how lucky the other guys were, not having to put up with being around a bunch of hormonal women. The party wasn't supposed to be anything big and fancy.

The only thing everyone would have to worry about was pretending to meet Rukia all over again when the group decided to hang out next while Grimmjow was there. The people going were just Ichigo's closest friends and his sisters. And Ichigo liked it this way; nothing extravagant and consists of small groups.

Ichigo knew already that Rukia would get along with everyone. He was relieved that they were all meeting her this way because any other way would turn out horribly awkward with what people knew. After a few hours of decorating and rearranging things, Ichigo took off back to his apartment to get ready.

He dressed pretty casual just so Rukia wouldn't guess what was going on. His heart was pounding through his chest as he parked his car and made his way up to Momo's apartment. He stared at the door for a moment and took a deep breath, knocking on it after a minute. Rukia opened the door and smiled as wide as she could, instantly hugging him.

He laughed and hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. "It's been too long…" Rukia mumbled against his neck. Ichigo put her down and smiled at her, kissing her deeply. They had missed each other so much but it was worth the wait. Rukia remembered that she wanted to speak with him.

"Hey, Ichigo, do you have a minute…? We need to talk about something." Ichigo knew where this was going. He didn't have time for that now but he promised himself they would talk later. "I'm sorry… We can't right now, Rukia. I've got to get you to your place." Rukia understood and walked to the car after grabbing her things.

The drive there was pretty quick; Rukia was glad she was close to Momo. They both got out of the car, Ichigo grabbing Rukia's belongings. They both walked up to the front door, the lights all off inside.

Rukia grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it, excited to see her new home. She opened the door and…

* * *

_A/N: Just another chapter closer to the end! You guys aren't the only ones that are excited, I am too! :) _


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Rukia found herself not being able to focus on one single thing. First of all, her house looked amazing. She thought she would have to come home, sleep on the floor and spend most of her summer organizing things. She knew by the expensive material that her brother in law was behind this.

But there was no way he could decorate that well. So, that meant Yuzu was also involved in this which means, '_Ichigo…_' Her eyes met a huge group of people, scanning their faces to see if she recognized any of them. Ichigo introduced Rukia to the people she hadn't met yet.

She suddenly felt comfortable knowing that everyone was nothing but friendly to her. She was nervous, of course, trying to work with all different kinds of personalities; she didn't know if everyone would like her.

The party went very smoothly, perfect almost. Ichigo still glanced at the door every now and then. He made sure to lock it just in case. Looking at Rukia with that lit up face as she laughed along with his friends made him feel relieved. She seemed so much happier with a group of friends to mess around with and joke around with.

He wished things were different with Grimmjow… that somehow he could be alright with him and Rukia. But that was a fool's wish. Everyone went their separate ways as the party came to an end, leaving just Rukia and Ichigo alone. Rukia couldn't stop smiling even after they left.

She hugged Ichigo tightly and thanked him for setting up the entire thing. "You're welcome, Rukia…" He was so happy at that moment, knowing he was the reason why she was smiling in the first place. She suddenly turned serious.

"We really need to talk about this whole situation…" Ichigo agreed and led her to her couch. They both sat down and looked at each other with worried expressions. "Ichigo, Grimmjow has changed. And I don't know if it's going to last long… but I haven't seen him this way in years."

Ichigo felt a small sting at his heart, "Are you saying you'd rather stay with him than have to risk being with me?" Rukia shook her head quickly, "No, no! Ichigo, that's not what I mean at all. I just hope… I just hope he remains this way even after we tell him what's going on." Ichigo laughed inwardly at that impossible hope.

Ichigo wanted so much to tell her that he wouldn't, that he has done much worse not only to her but to everyone. But he knew it wasn't his place to be that type of messenger. "Well, it's not like we can set a specific time, right? It has to be one of those… in the moment type deals. During this summer would probably be best because school won't be in the way."

Rukia nodded, her face still scrunched up with confusion. Ichigo placed a hand on hers, looking into her eyes, "Hey, everything is going to be fine… don't worry about a thing, alright?" Rukia smiled, her face calm but her mind still running wild.

_..!.._

Rukia was tired. She was tired of going back and forth from her house to Momo's so Grimmjow wouldn't know about her new place. Being around him in person was unbearable. She was tired of constantly lying to him. She was tired of splitting time between Grimmjow and Ichigo.

She was about to pop and it wasn't going to be pretty. Stress filled every being of her. She could never stop being nervous. She could never stop thinking, thinking, thinking, worrying, worrying, and worrying. It was an endless hell for Rukia and she wanted out. Summer was nearly over, months with putting up with all of this.

Ichigo knocked on Rukia's front door, worried as hell about her. He had gotten a call at 4 in the morning from Rukia, she was talking so fast and sounded like she was in trouble so he told her he'd be right there. Rukia opened the door, Ichigo rushing to her side, "What is it?! What happened?!"

Ichigo looked around the house just in case someone had broke in to hurt her. "We need to tell him. Now." Ichigo turned around, looking at her as if she were crazy. "What? No, Rukia. We need more ti-" Rukia cut him off, "We don't have any more time. _I_ don't have any more time. I am miserable, Ichigo. I can't eat or sleep. I have no appetite. I don't want to do anything at all. I feel lifeless because I'm living a complete lie."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair in irritation. Rukia suddenly received a call, ironically it was Grimmjow. "Hello?" Rukia asked, curious of why Grimmjow was calling so early. "They moved us up! We're able to go earlier!" Rukia didn't like the sound of this, "Oh, really? That sounds great…"

She tried so hard to sound excited. "I know! This fits out so perfectly! Make sure you stop by downtown later and pick up something nice to wear, alright? I transferred some money over to your account so you didn't have to deal with it yourself. Oh and I'm sorry for calling so early, I just couldn't wait to tell you."

Rukia smiled and thanked him, "It's alright, Grimmjow. This Saturday…? Okay… Yeah… Yes, I'll be ready by then… Okay, bye." She looked at Ichigo, "Our reservations were moved up to this Saturday…" Ichigo couldn't believe it. "Well, this is a forcible situation … I guess now is the perfect time to let him know…"

Rukia shook her head, "We can't just call him over here, sit him down and pour out everything. I have to talk to him myself; I have to go to this dinner. So that way, I can ease him into it." Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Rukia, no. I don't agree with that at all. I want to be there."

Rukia replied, "Why? Because you think he'll hurt me?" Ichigo threw his hands up in the air, "_Exactly_! Because he _will_ hurt you. I want to be there to keep you safe… for you to run just in case anything happens." Rukia shook her head, "He would never hurt me."

Ichigo looked straight at her, "Do you really believe that, Rukia?" She looked down at the floor and then back at him, "Yes, I do." Ichigo shook his head in belief, rubbing his neck. He tried so hard to hold his tongue at that moment, afraid something might slip that he didn't want to tell her.

"I'm leaving. And we'll talk about this later." Ichigo left her house, leaving her in deep thought.

_..!.._

Later on in the day, Rukia went to Momo's house to talk things over with her. She felt like she was leaving Momo in the dark about so many things. "… I don't know what to say. That's a lot of food you have on your plate there."

Momo said to Rukia after Rukia summed down everything for her. "Too much I can handle. Momo, I'm sorry for keeping you out of this. You were the last person I wanted to worry." Momo shook her head and smiled, "Rukia, I was worried already! I knew something was going on with you but I was too scared to ask- like you'd snap at me or something!"

Rukia giggled along with Momo. "Look, despite all the crap going on, let's have fun shopping. We haven't done that in forever!"

About an hour later, Ichigo received a picture message from Rukia. There were two pictures her holding up a dress in each one. At the bottom, a text read: So what looks more like a, "I'm in love with your best friend."? Ichigo chuckled outwardly. He was happy Rukia was at least having fun.

It had been such a long time since she got the chance to hang out with Momo without feeling horrible for keeping her out of things. Ichigo trusted Momo to not open her mouth and tell everyone everything. However, for Momo, it was getting more difficult by the second.

She didn't like seeing Rukia going through something she couldn't possibly handle- especially with the consequences. "He really has changed, Momo. He's so sweet to me. And I didn't catch him looking at anyone the entire time we were together!" Momo frowned from how excited Rukia sounded.

"You know I've been waiting a long time for him to pop the question. I was beginning to get worried." Momo continued to scan through dresses with Rukia. "That's nice and all but Rukia… one night doesn't prove anything. Plus, I'm pretty sure Ichigo treats you a lot better than Grimmjow ever did."

It was the sad truth and Momo had to say it. "You're not actually considering saying yes, are you?" Rukia didn't make eye contact with her. "Of course not." Momo started getting a bad feeling in the depth of her stomach. "What do you think you're going to accomplish when you tell him?" Rukia shrugged.

"Simply that I've fallen in love with Ichigo." Momo laughed, "Simply, you say, simply. You haven't really thought this through, have you? You'll be in a public place. Imagine the rage Grimmjow will experience when that truth hits his ears. You don't think he'll try to hurt you, do you?" Rukia shook her head immediately.

"Grimmjow would never lay a finger on me." Momo sighed, "But how about Ichigo? Ever gave that a thought?" Rukia paused her looking. "I… I know Grimmjow will get angry. But I don't think he'd be physical…" Momo crossed her arms over her chest.

"These are guys we're talking about, right?" Rukia nodded slowly. She had a lot more thinking to do.

_..!.._

That night, Ichigo was up a little later than usual. He couldn't get any sleep; Rukia's date with Grimmjow was on his mind. '_Pff, date…_' Ichigo thought. He admitted to himself that he was afraid. Grimmjow and Rukia had been together for years. They knew each other inside and out.

'_At least, they probably did in the beginning._' As time went by, Grimmjow stopped paying attention while Rukia kept trying. Ichigo was afraid that Rukia was seeing a change that would change her entire outlook on their relationship, leaving Ichigo nothing to do but step aside.

He was in the wrong in the first place anyways. But Rukia was even more so. Just the fact that she allowed herself to fall in love with Ichigo meant her heart was wide open already. Despite all of that, Ichigo still wanted to protect her. He didn't want Rukia to go on her own and he didn't want to follow her there just in case.

Ichigo wanted to tell Grimmjow himself. Ichigo thought that would be the best way possible. So then, Ichigo could receive all the punishment, all the harsh words and physical blows. He would take every ounce of pain for her. He knew all of his friends understood what he was going through and chose his side with this.

Ichigo was still afraid that they thought he was a bad person and friend for going along with it. He wondered if any of them would have suggested forgetting about Rukia because it was too risky of a situation. It also dragged in all of his friends into the drama, causing worry and pain.

He was happy he talked to all of them about pushing the issue out of their lives and focusing on themselves. This was his issue and he didn't want his friends involved. Ichigo was able to get some sleep when he finally made a game plan, hoping all would go the way he wanted it to. He hoped luck was on his side for once.

_..!.._

Rukia was pacing back and forth after getting ready to meet Grimmjow. Their reservations were at 6:30PM, it being 5:00PM. She had about another hour of freaking out about how to say things. Momo was there, naturally. She was trying to calm Rukia down all the while trying to calm herself down.

She didn't want Rukia to go through with this, she knew Grimmjow would hurt her. During the entire day with Rukia, Momo's mouth had a natural twitch. Rukia asked her about it a couple of times and Momo replied that she kept getting some normal yet random shivers.

Rukia shrugged it off like she hope she would have and continued on. "Hey, Grimmjow… We've been pretty distant for quite some time… I feel like we're falling apart… and I'm in love with Ichigo—no, dammit! That's all wrong!" Rukia clenched her hands into fists and sighed heavily.

Momo's lips were twitching as she watched Rukia pace and talk to herself out loud. Momo opened her mouth slightly then shut it. She opened it again for a little longer and shut it again. She finally kept her mouth open and started speaking, "Rukia, you need to sit down."

Rukia stopped in her tracks and looked up at Momo, she was serious. Rukia has only seen Momo serious about a few things. It was a pretty rare and scary thing because Momo was mostly cheerful. Rukia immediately sat down and gave Momo her full attention.

"I am a horrible friend. I have kept something from you for a very long time. Before I tell you anything I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I found out about it. I'm sorry I have to be the one to sit here before you as your best friend and tell you something that will hurt you deeply."

Rukia waited patiently, taking in every word Momo released. "Rukia, you are one of the best things that have happened to me. You moving here is so amazing for us. But it hasn't been that way because of what you're going through. I love you so much, Rukia. I can't stand to see you get hurt."

Momo took a deep breath and continued, "For the past couple of years, I have seen Grimmjow being sexually physical with other women. Women that you and I don't know, random girls from campus… many, many of them…" Rukia's heart suddenly stopped. Her mouth opened slightly with shock, her eyes beginning to water.

Her mind was flying fast, unable to think about one solid thing. "I have been wanting to tell you so many times but never thought it was my place. I wanted Grimmjow to tell you or for you to find out yourself… Your relationship with him is none of my business but I know you might get hurt! I've seen him get angry over small things and lose his temper! It's scary and I don't want you to go through that! I don't want you to end up in a hospital because I didn't have the guts to tell you what was coming!"

Momo began to sop uncontrollably. Rukia still sat there frozen. Unable to speak, unable to do anything. She couldn't believe that her best friend kept something as important as this from her. She didn't know the first thing she wanted to do. She wanted to yell, wanted to scream. She wanted to break something so badly.

Yet, she couldn't find it in herself to get up and do something. She suddenly wanted to just confront him. To point at him and tell him she was right all along, that he had been unfaithful and untrustworthy just like she had accused and assumed of. Her body responded, grabbing her purse and keys.

She rushed out the door, Momo calling after her as she continued to sob. Rukia pulled out of the driveway and was gone in a flash. It wasn't long until she was on the freeway, headed to the restaurant with tears streaming down her face as her expression continued to stay blank. No matter what she did, she had to be strong.

_..!.._

Grimmjow looked into his bathroom mirror to adjust his tie. He thought he looked pretty nice, hoping Rukia would think the same. He still hadn't decided if he was going to tell Rukia the full truth of what he had been doing behind her back for years and years; he thought it would affect her answer of his question to marry him.

'_Rukia… my wife…_' Grimmjow smiled at the thought. Marriage was a lot of work, he knew. Watching his parents made him learn what not to do. He wanted to be the best husband he could be for Rukia. He even considered getting help before they were to wed.

Grimmjow wanted to get to the restaurant a bit early so he grabbed his things and headed to his car. While he was seated and ready to go, he got a text from Ichigo. It read: 'Meet me at the café. It's urgent. –Ichigo' Grimmjow shrugged and started his car, heading for the café. He knew he could spare a few minutes. After all, it was urgent.

Grimmjow's car came to a complete stop. He rose from his car and walked to the café, meeting Ichigo inside at his usual spot. Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow, Grimmjow wincing at the look of Ichigo. He looked like he hadn't slept for days. Ichigo got up and made his way to the café entrance, receiving a worried look from Ayame.

Ichigo turned around and beckoned Grimmjow to follow him, leaving the cafe and walking ahead to an empty parking lot next door. The streets were completely silent, as if everyone knew what was about to happen and decided to stay home. Grimmjow followed Ichigo closely.

"Dude, what's going on? What the hell happened? You look like shit, man." Ichigo turned around to face him; they were a good distance away. "You say you love her. You say she's the only thing you need, that she's the most beautiful person on this planet."

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo curiously, dumbfounded at what was going on, "Dude, what the hell are you going on about?" Ichigo smiled sadly and shrugged violently, "I didn't know it was her! I didn't know! She never told me her name! She was playing hard to get and it made me want her more. I didn't fucking know, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow listened closely, trying to piece things together. "I love her. I love her… I love her. I love Rukia… and she loves me. She's the woman I met at the café. And I didn't know, man, I didn't know… And I couldn't stop myself. I was in too deep when I found out who she was."

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo as if he saw a ghost. "You… and Rukia…?" Grimmjow asked him, Ichigo nodding. "I'm telling you here and now. She probably already left to meet you. I didn't want her anywhere near you when I told you." Grimmjow couldn't believe it. His head was spinning in anger.

He was hoping it was all a dream. That he would wake up and ask the woman he loved the most to marry him, her saying yes. Then things would get better just like he had wanted for so long. He finally knew how to fix things and everything was falling apart so quickly.

Grimmjow's head was down, his mind running wild. Ichigo stood there, waiting for a response. Grimmjow's head lifted halfway, his eyes burning with anger as he looked directly at Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes widened as Grimmjow thrust himself at Ichigo, throwing a gushing punch at Ichigo's stomach, bringing him down to his knees.

Grimmjow kicked him down all the way and started to throw kicks and punches, beating him as much as he could. Whenever Ichigo tried to get up, Grimmjow kicked him back down. Ichigo lied there just taking everything Grimmjow threw at him. He felt as if he deserved it for everything he had done wrong to Grimmjow.

Grimmjow gave up the fighting and just stood there, yelling at the top of his lungs. He turned his back to Ichigo and thought for a moment. Ichigo's lips began to move, blood trickling down his forehead. "Don't hurt her…" Grimmjow looked back at him.

"What?" Ichigo's bloody lips opened again, "Please don't hurt her… If you want to take your anger out on her, please… please hurt me more…" Grimmjow's eyes widened at Ichigo's plea. If Grimmjow were to do that, Ichigo's condition would be threatening.

"You're battling with the devil with that request, Ichigo." Grimmjow said with a warning tone. "I know… I would rather that than Rukia getting hurt in any way." Grimmjow looked up at the sky and smiled, shaking his head, "I won't hurt her. I do need to blow off some steam but I won't do anything to you either."

Grimmjow left Ichigo there, surprised at what Grimmjow had just told him. He tried getting up to make sure he wasn't headed for Rukia, wanting to follow him. But his eyes started to close slowly, drifting him off into an uncontrollable slumber.

_..!.._

Rukia made it to the restaurant, running into the entrance. She asked the man at the front if Grimmjow had come yet and the man shook his head, telling her that Grimmjow had canceled the reservations at the last second.

Rukia's feeling in her stomach twitched in pain when her thoughts led to everything that Momo said to be true. She drove back as fast as she could, still furiously wanting to confront the sonofabitch. She stepped on the gas and drove and drove until she arrived at Grimmjow's apartment.

She stomped her way up and thrust the door open angrily, finding Grimmjow pounding into an unfamiliar woman like a dog in heat. Rukia covered her mouth with both of her hands and started shaking her head in disbelief. Grimmjow stopped suddenly and looked back at Rukia. Rukia started backing up, her breathing becoming uneasy as she continued to cry.

Grimmjow told the woman to leave as he got dressed. The woman stormed out of his apartment, giving her an apologetic look. Grimmjow rushed to Rukia's side, trying to put his arm around her. She shoved it away and shook her head, "No! You… Why? Why did you do this? Why for so long?"

Grimmjow opened his mouth and then closed it. He didn't know how to answer that but said something else instead, "When the hell were you going to tell me about you and Ichigo?!" Rukia shook her head more, "How… How… did you know…?"

Grimmjow tried inching Rukia back into his apartment but she continued to step back, "He told me, love. He told me everything." Rukia looked at him with wide eyes, she knew he was implying that he did some damage, "Where is he?!" Grimmjow smiled softly.

"He's passed out in an empty parking lot near the café. But you aren't going anywhere, sweetheart… No… you're staying with me…" Grimmjow said as his fingers ran up one of her arms. Rukia shivered in fear and took off in a flash.

She was so happy she decided to stay in shape; she outran Grimmjow, started her car and left before he could get to her. She was pissed at the fact that Ichigo even told Grimmjow in the first place. If he were still alive, Rukia wouldn't care about that at all. Just the fact that he was breathing would be the most important thing to her.

_..!.._

Senna hummed as she walked along the sidewalk. She was on her way home from a friend's house. She turned the corner, taking a short cut home through the very parking lot Ichigo was lying in. She glanced at him and kept walking, halting when she realized that it was actually him.

She rushed to his side with a worried look and examined him. She checked his pulse and was relieved when she felt a faint thump. Ichigo's eyes fluttered half way open when Senna shook him. "Rukia… You came for me…" Ichigo said, smiling. Senna shook her head, about to tell him it was her but stopped.

'_No... If he thinks I'm Rukia… I'll at least get a kiss out of this!_' Senna smiled back and spoke softly, "Yes, Ichigo… Yes… I came for you." Ichigo smiled more, "I'm sorry about everything… I just didn't want you... to get hurt…" Ichigo was fading out again, Senna shaking him to keep him awake.

'_No! He can't go out again!_' Just then Rukia pulled up to the café and got out as fast as she could. She paced down the street, looking down each way to find the parking lot. She spotted Ichigo's lying body on the parking lot ground, a petite woman hovering over him.

"Things will be better now… I promise." Ichigo said to Senna as she leaned in to kiss him. Rukia let out a loud sob. Ichigo shook his head violently and tried his best to sit up. He looked at Senna, confused, looking back at Rukia. "Rukia! No! It's not what it looks like!"

Rukia shook her head and ran to her car, leaving without another word. "Now, now, Ichigo… I need you to be very gentle… I'm going to take you home and fix you…" Senna smiled as sweet as she could, just coming off as disturbing. Ichigo got up, almost being shot down immediately by his worn and torn body. Ichigo shoved Senna away and limped towards his car, trying his best to chase after Rukia.

* * *

_A/N: I have excuses, I promise! I'm so terribly sorry for such a long wait! I hope it was worth it to you guys! _


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Bent**

Rukia stepped on her breaks and decided to turn around. She got back just before Ichigo was about to pull out. Ichigo got out of his car and stood in front of her. "Please let me explain." Rukia told Ichigo to get in her car and took off without another word.

"Senna is my ex girlfriend. She's the one you met that night when we went to visit my family. You couldn't see her just now, obviously because her back was to you. Ever since I broke it off with her, she's been stalking me. She even threatened to tell Grimmjo-"

Ichigo cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say. "Tell him what, Ichigo?" Ichigo winced at her question. "I… I told him about us… Obviously..." Ichigo chuckled slightly as he pointed at himself. Rukia's eyes softened, keeping them on the road.

"I know you would never do such an idiotic thing to me." Ichigo shook his head, "Of course not but… why are you back so early? Did he not show up?" Rukia gave him a quick no. "He canceled the reservations and I came over here to confront him. I saw him… having sex with another woman."

Ichigo's heart sped up. "R-Rukia…" She didn't look sad; she looked as if it didn't affect her anymore. "I… wanted to tell you…" Rukia shot her head at him and back at the road, "You knew?" Ichigo nodded, "Yes, I did." Rukia was confused, if Ichigo would have just told her, it would have saved a lot of trouble.

"Ichigo, you should have told me. Then I would have an excuse to leave him." Ichigo scoffed, "Because the fact that you and I wanted to be together would have just vanished as a problem? It would still be there, plain as day." Ichigo wanted to touch her so badly, to hug her and kiss her.

He felt like they were sitting miles apart from each other. "It wasn't my place to tell you. Grimmjow should have told you awhile ago." Rukia definitely agreed with that. She sighed deeply and looked over at him, a sad smile spread across her face.

"I'm taking you to the hospital. There is no way in hell I'd make you chase me all around town when you're in that condition… Or for any other condition as well… I was an idiot for even thinking you'd do something like that…. I'm sorry, Ichigo." Ichigo smiled at her, leaned over and kissed her quickly. Rukia was heartbroken over the look of him. He did all of that just to keep her from getting hurt.

They arrived at the hospital and got Ichigo in pretty quickly. It was a relief because he was starting to feel some major pain ever since he woke up. Rukia sat in the waiting room, not exactly being patient. She sighed, thinking about everything she had been through that night.

'_I found out Grimmjow was cheating on me, Ichigo told him about us and both Momo and Ichigo knew about it all along…_' It felt as if God was picking on her just to annoy her. She didn't know how to fix everything. She figured she would just start with the biggest problem and work her way down.

As she thought that, someone had sat down next to her. It was Grimmjow. She looked at him blankly. "What the hell are you doing here?" Grimmjow looked back at her, "I can't sit here for another month or so because I'm too stubborn to talk to you guys. We need to fix what's going on now. I was near the edge of becoming different and this fucked it all over. I'm not giving up that easily."

Rukia was happy to hear that. "I understand why you had your heart on your sleeve when you met Ichigo. I wasn't exactly being faithful to you… I knew you thought things were going on and that made you lose hope in us." Rukia replied, "We were so happy, Grimmjow… You had it all and you threw it away…"

Grimmjow looked at her sadly, nodding slowly. "I did have it all, Rukia. Before Ichigo, I honestly believe you didn't give a second thought about anyone else but me. I'm sorry, Rukia. I really, really am." Rukia could tell he was. The way he looked at her, the tone of his voice.

Rukia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, Grimmjow doing the same. "Ichigo is a great guy… I know he'll make you happy…" He whispered to her. He released his grip from her when the doctor came by, greeting them. "Ichigo Kurosaki?" Rukia and Grimmjow nodded to the woman.

"Alright, well it seems like he's bruised up quite a bit. But on a good note, no broken bones and he should be out of the hospital within a couple of days. He will need his rest and you two are free to see him. Just head down the hall, to the right and he should be in room 201."

They thanked him and followed her directions, getting there with ease. Ichigo was there just as the doctor said, sitting up in his bed. He had a huge scratch at the very top of his forehead, a black eye, a bruised lip and many other bruises across his face and body.

Ichigo smiled at Rukia but gave her a confused look when Grimmjow was behind her. He walked over to one of the sides of his bed and sat down on a chair next to him. Rukia walked over to the opposite side and asked how he was. "Doc says I'm fine."

Rukia rolled her eyes and was tempted to kiss him but just rubbed his shoulder. "I'm glad…" Rukia looked at Grimmjow and then Ichigo. She told them she'd leave them alone for a few and left the room. Silence filled the room for a short while, the both of them avoiding eye contact.

"You know… you kind of deserved it." Ichigo laughed and nodded his head, "Yeah, I did." Grimmjow smiled back at Ichigo, "I'm sorry, man… She's just… she's everything to me. I really let my anger get the best of me. I admit, though… that was the first time that I forced myself to stop… I don't want to get all emotional and shit but, you're my fucking best friend. You have been for years. Even though you betrayed me, I couldn't find it in myself to do anymore damage. I could have killed you if I didn't control myself…"

Ichigo's eyes didn't leave Grimmjow's, wanting him to know that he was listening. "I need help. And I can't be this way and be in a serious relationship, it can't happen. Rukia would have been miserable for many more years... I'd rather her be happy and with someone else than have to wait on me…"

Ichigo couldn't believe his ears. He then thought that maybe Grimmjow was actually turning out for the better. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I was expecting you to never show up here and take off without a single word to anyone." Grimmjow understood why Ichigo would think that.

"Actually… I am planning on moving…" Ichigo wasn't surprised, "Where to then?" Grimmjow spoke up, "Well, it'll be about 2 hours away from here. I'm thinking about moving in with my uncle up north." Ichigo grinned, "Ah, the rich one?" Grimmjow nodded.

"Hey, he's helped a lot of people. Not just money wise but he's a great listener. I'm sure he can find a way to help me out." Ichigo chuckled, "While forking up some cash?" They both laughed, "Just don't let all that money get to your head. You could pretty much get worse if you let it get out of hand."

Grimmjow agreed, "Yeah, it really can." Grimmjow turned a little more serious, "She's one in a million, Ichigo. I swear… I had everything in my hands… everything I could ever want and I took it for granted." He looked up at Ichigo after staring at his palms, "Promise me you'll make her happy." Ichigo nodded, "I promise."

_..!.._

A couple of days later, Ichigo was free to be released. Rukia had picked him up, of course. He looked a lot better than when she found him lying there on the parking lot floor. She thought about how lucky they were to have a stable life; she was able to bring him home without him having to worry about working the next day.

They both had well off support that they didn't need to worry about working until they got their desired jobs. A lot of college students couldn't say that. They arrived at Ichigo's apartment, Rukia helping him inside. Ichigo seemed a lot happier to be in his own home again.

"Thank you, Rukia." He said as she helped him lie down on his bed. She sat down next to his tired body, "Do you need anything? I can make you soup or get you a glass of water." Ichigo smiled. His stomach started to grumble, looking up at her after glancing at his stomach, "Soup sounds nice, actually."

Rukia nodded and kissed his forehead. Ichigo finally got to relax and take a deep breath; the fight was over. He didn't have to worry about going out in public with Rukia or having any type of private get together without worrying about getting caught. Summer was nearly over and they still had things to do. Stress free, of course.

Grimmjow had his truck packed up and ready to go. The entire gang was there for one more get together after helping him with his things. Grimmjow did feel a little uncomfortable and uneasy whenever he saw any romantic contact between Ichigo and Rukia. But he then remembered how happy she looked around him.

He did mess things up with her but he learned from it. He knew in the future that once he was ready, he would be able to make someone happy like he had wanted for Rukia, '_Or maybe I'll just steal Rukia back from Ichigo…_' He thought jokingly. But at the same time… '_Maybe…_'

They all said their goodbyes as Grimmjow pulled out and took off with a wave goodbye to everyone, keeping his eyes as Rukia until he could see her no longer.

The entire gang decided to meet at Rukia's house to discuss what classes they wanted to take. Rukia felt so happy to be around so many people that enjoyed her company and welcomed her so willingly. "Maybe we could all take a class together!" Orihime shouted out excitedly.

"Yeah, that would be a great idea! But… we'd have to find one that everyone is interested in." Ichigo replied. Ishida opened his mouth to suggest something when everyone except Rukia shouted 'No!' in unison. They browsed for a good amount of time and then Rukia had an idea.

"How about this camping class? We learn how to set up camp, how to make a fire, and there's also a bunch of field trips. Also it's only once a week." Everyone looked at each other as if it was a good idea, making sure everyone agreed. They saw that the class was open and ready to be enrolled in and all enrolled on their laptops.

Rukia felt so giddy, being around a nice big group of friends that accepted her. They all stayed over until early evening and all went home, leaving Ichigo and Rukia once again. The entire day that hadn't been able to keep their eyes off of each other, their cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

They were both sitting on the couch, relaxing next to one another. "You know… we've been through a lot of crap." Ichigo stated, Rukia nodding. He brought his face close to hers and kissed her nose, "But I would honestly go through it all again, knowing that everything is fine now."

Rukia smiled, "Me too…" They kissed like they hadn't seen each other in years, showing how much one another meant to them. "We've learned from this, both of us. But you need to understand that we are going to go through things like this again. Some may be worse, others may be a little easier to handle. But I need you there with me, 100% of the way." Ichigo said to Rukia, hoping she would agree.

"Of course, Ichigo. I wouldn't expect any less from you and I hope you think the same for me." Ichigo smiled and agreed. It was true; they are bound to go through things. And hopefully they were ready for whatever hits them next because it's definitely something they need each other for.

_..!.._

It had been a few days into school, some excited and some dreadful of the fact. They were all excited about their camping class that day; it is an elective class that they could all enjoy. Give or take there were some things that each person wouldn't enjoy. But overall, it was the only elective class everyone could agree on it in some form.

They were the first chunk of people to arrive into the class room. They were in awe of how well the classroom represented camping. It was interesting, nothing like they'd seen before. The walls were painted like the sky; the entire floor was made up of real grass, the desks a dark wood.

There were trees planted all over the room, as if they just placed four walls outside in the forest. There was a huge screen at the front of the room, the teacher standing in front of her desk as they all walked in. None of them knew what to expect, this was all completely new to them.

Of course, Rukia and Ichigo sat next to one another. Rukia decided to let it slide in this class because it was an elective; they really didn't need to pay attention all that much. For them, it was a fun class that they could all enjoy plus getting credit for it. After awhile, the classroom filled.

Ichigo groaned with annoyance as he saw Senna walk through. He was hoping that they would get to choose who they camped with, not wanting Senna to play grab ass with him the entire trip. The teacher spoke up, introducing herself along with the introduction to the camping class.

She went down a list of what they all needed, camping equipment of course. This class wasn't meant for people who could barely afford for college, the camping things were quite expensive. In the middle of her speech, a male came rushing through the door, panting slightly.

He grinned widely, "Sorry I'm late, Teach! Carry on!" The teacher gave him a glare and continued. Rukia turned her head curiously to see who it was, her eyes suddenly growing wide. 'Kaien?!' She turned her head away quickly, avoiding any type of eye contact with him.

She bit her lip, thinking to herself that he being in the same class was just beyond perfect. She removed her sarcasm from her mind and focused on the teacher, not wanting to miss anything. "Now, we are going to split people up into groups of two. I am only doing this because it will be much harder for you on your final.

Keep in mind that your class final _will be_ brutal. It will be right after school so your priorities for other classes will be nonexistent. The final will be a total of 7 days long so if you're not up for the challenge, please exit the room and drop the class." After the teacher said this, a couple of people left.

Not much but a few, most of them mumbling about how they didn't want to waste a week of their summer camping for a test. "For now, I will not reveal the tasks of the final but I will teach you what you will need to know." The teacher started to hand out small pieces of paper.

"Write your name on these papers, you will be putting it into the hat at the front desk and pulling one out when I call your name." Everyone did as she asked, the hat full of the small papers. Chad had Toshiro; Renji had Orihime and Ishida with Momo.

The last to pull names were Ichigo, Rukia, Senna and Kaien. Kaien went first, smiling softly as he read the name. Rukia's eyes opened widely when he looked at her and winked. Ichigo smacked his palm against his face when he pulled out Senna's card. Senna giggled cheerfully and bounced in her seat excitedly.

"I do not care in the slightest if you picked someone that you don't know or would rather not be with. This is a test of teamwork, if you fail, you fail my class. End of discussion."

_..!.._

Ichigo groaned loudly at the lunch table, Rukia holding Ichigo close as he buried his head into her chest. Everyone was completely fine with who they got except Rukia and Ichigo, obviously. "Why her?! _Anyone_ but her!" Ichigo whined, Rukia patting his back. "I know, Ichigo, I know."

Renji spoke up, nervous Ichigo would lose it, "Well… maybe you'll get to really sit down and talk with her about how crazy she is. Then she'll leave you alone." Ichigo laughed against Rukia's chest, "_Talk_, he says! _Talk_!" Renji shrugged.

"You're going to be fine, Ichigo. You have all of us here for you. But Renji is right; whenever the opportunity presents itself, talk to her. You might get through to her somehow." Rukia said as she ran her fingers through his hair to calm him down.

Yes, she was worried for Ichigo. She was more worried for herself, though. As soon as they both got to Rukia's house, they both flopped down on the couch. She wanted to be honest with Ichigo. "Ichigo…?" She asked, looking over at him to see his face buried into the couch cushion.

"Hmmm?" Rukia sighed and sat up. "You know how I got Kaien as my partner for the final?" Ichigo poked his out from the cushions and nodded. "I actually met him at my old college; he transferred just like I did. I met him in our school library.

He was an ass to me at first. And later he confessed that he had feelings for me—nothing serious, I think but… I just wanted you to know that just in case something happened…" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Huh… Okay. Well, thank you for letting me know." Rukia looked at him, confused. "You aren't going all boyfriend crazy."

Ichigo grinned and kissed her lips, "I'm not afraid to lose you. I trust you, Rukia. It's _him_ I don't trust." Rukia smiled and kissed him back; loving the sound of his voice declaring his trust for her. Rukia got up and put her things away, "Thank god the only things we have to do is get the recommended items for our classes. I'm not ready for homework yet."

Ichigo laughed at Rukia, nodding with agreement. "That aside, what would you like to do tonight?" Rukia looked back at him, "You mean we can have fun after school?" Ichigo laughed and stuck his tongue out at Rukia in response to her question.

"Yes, silly. Let's go out to eat or something! I don't feel like staying in the house tonight." Ichigo said as he walked over to her and hugged her from behind, kissing her cheek. Rukia smiled, "Okay, okay. Out to eat it is then."

Rukia and Ichigo didn't feel like they had any fun times alone ever since Grimmjow had left and all that drama with over with. They were both glad that ever since then, they always held onto each other tightly, thankful for getting through all of that.

Thinking of that, Ichigo gave Rukia a huge hug and twirled her around, Rukia screaming with happiness. He put her down and they both smiled at each other, "You're crazy." Rukia said to Ichigo. "Crazy about you." He kissed her nose, Rukia calling him a cheese ball.

Rukia decided to take a shower to get ready for their date while Ichigo sat on his butt and flipped through the channels, waiting for his turn to get into the shower as well. As soon as they were both done, Ichigo and Rukia walked out to the car, opening the door for Rukia before getting in the driver's seat.

They both dressed casual but nice at the same time. Rukia asked Ichigo where they were going, "When I was about three, my mother and father used to take me to a small diner about half an hour from home. We didn't do it a lot but we did when my father saved up enough."

Rukia smiled at the story, happy he would take her somewhere so special to him. They arrived at the small diner, Rukia immediately loving the originality and Ichigo's mind cluttered with nostalgia. Ichigo opened the door for Rukia and walked in as well, waving to one of the waiters behind the counter.

"Ichigo, how are you, my boy?!" He walked over to Ichigo and hugged him tightly. Ichigo laughed and hugged him back, "Hey, Enzo! How's it going?" Enzo laughed loudly, his round belly and chest shaking. "Good, good! Please, sit down! Anywhere you'd like! I'll be right with you!"

Rukia couldn't stop smiling, feeling at home already. Enzo came over to them and looked over at Rukia, "Who's the pretty lady?" Rukia smiled up at Enzo, "My name is Rukia." Enzo shook her hand, "You're a lucky gal, Rukia." He said to her and looked over at Ichigo. "What will you two have this evening?"

Ichigo and Rukia provided him with their orders, "OK, got it. See you crazy kids in a second!" Ichigo laughed when Enzo rubbed Ichigo's hair and took off. "He's almost like family to you." Rukia said, looking across the table at Ichigo. "Yeah, he's a great guy- helped me out a lot by giving me a part time job here.

He feels like an Uncle to me." Ichigo and Rukia continued to talk, mostly about things from their childhood. Enzo brought their food while they were having a deep conversation, telling them to enjoy as he let them continue.

"I'm happy I was able to take you here without worrying about exposing our relationship… I feel… relieved, safe almost. It's just nice to be able to take you out in public." Ichigo said before eating his food. Rukia nodded, "It is nice, normal as well. Being risky in relationships isn't really something that's… fun to be risky with. I'm happy all the pain is over with."

Ichigo felt horrible about the fact that sometimes he didn't allow himself to put himself in Rukia's place. He was more focused on his relationship with Grimmjow and Grimmjow's reaction that his mind never drifted to how Rukia felt. He thought about it for a second and realized that Rukia was mostly likely the person who hurt the most throughout all of this.

'_I mean… we all had our fair share but…_' He looked at Rukia, her face smiling as she saw Enzo dancing with another waitress to a catchy song on the radio. He never wanted that smile to fade away.

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys! Been pretty busy. I have a lot of birthday's coming up so I've been drawing constantly._

_Some of you don't like the fact that I have Senna as a... 'bad guy' and would rather me use Orihime. I'm sorry you feel that way but nobody is forcing you to read this! I hope you guys still enjoy even if I don't write things to your perfect standards._

_I hope you all have a nice weekend! Bye! :)_


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